Radicalism in Indonesia

Radicalism can be defined as the beliefs or action of people who advocate for
political or social reform. Radicals believe in an ideal world and is often associated with
extreme political views. They demand reforms as an act of collective frustration related to
expectations on the government. Radicalism in Indonesia are mostly based on religion and
spiked mostly during election years as a political bogeyman.
Radicalism has social dimentions involving large segments of society so how effective
a radical ideology spreads is affected by its audience number. Radical leaders in Indonesia
mostly work with high profile religious figures to cater towards a big audience since religion
plays a major role in influencing the country’s politics, economy, and culture. For instance,
every citizen is required to identify with one of the six major religions in Indonesia to fill in
their national ID (KTP). Major banks in Indonesia also provide their Muslim customers with
access to a syariah economy system. The system is popular as an expression of their
religious and political identity as Muslims.
Lack of education, unemployment, and lack of social mobility are also major causes
why people, especially the lower class of the population, can blindly trust these radical
ideas. People with low education level do not have enough exposure to the world outside of
their social bubble. They are more likely to associate themselves with like-minded
individuals, and when a radical idea is introduced to them by a trusted source (in this case a
religious leader), it easy for them to trust these ideas. This makes them vulnerable toward
radicalizations as individuals.
Radicalization can also be used by the government’s opposition to manipulate
people for political gain. For example, in the case of DKI Jakarta’s former governor, Basuki
“Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. Opposition used acts of demonstrations to express their political
beliefs, which they associate with Islam, to gain traction in Indonesia, which made many
Indonesian Muslims targets of radicalization. The danger of radicalism doesn’t stop there.
Radicals view others with different beliefs or ideologies as their enemies. This can result in
the rise of religious tensions in Indonesia’s plural society. Intolerence can eventually lead to
violence, and in extreme cases, separatism of radical states which harms the country’s
integrity.