Jakarta. With the rise of radical propaganda in Indonesia, various academics have pressed on the importance of education and parental support to protect their children from becoming radicalized.
According to Anna Surti Ariani, child and family psychologist at University of Indonesia (UI), parents must be aware of the kind of environment their children are exposed to, while schools must focus on teaching children about peace.
“If a parent loves their country, they must do everything in their power to protect their children from radical propaganda,” said Anna on Tuesday (24/05).
“Family [values] and education are the most important foundations in a child’s development,” she added, after seeing the video of Indonesian children receiving paramilitary training in Syria in support of the Islamic State movement.
Anna believes that it is important for parents to teach their children critical thinking skills and to think twice about information they receive from others, as children tend to take in everything they hear at face value.
She also suggests that parents hold a close relationship with their children by communicating with them and being mindful of their circle of friends and activities. Children in Indonesia can be exposed to radicalism after joining certain religious communities, which is especially so when they are in high school or university.
However, the recent video of Indonesian children being given paramilitary training shows that children of very young age groups are now being radicalized.
“Take note of how they interact and find positive activities for them. Take note of any changed behaviors, if they think that radical ideologies are acceptable,” said the psychologist.
Meanwhile, deputy dean of National Islam University (UIN) faculty of culture and humanities, Zubair, stated that the circulated video serves as an example that violence can easily spread to children, and it goes against Indonesia’s image of religious harmony.
“The video was clearly [used as] propaganda to lure children into radical activities, without understanding its context, despite religious teachings focusing on peace and harmony,” stated Zubair.
According to him, the video sheds light on how easily propaganda can spread between children if there is no one to monitor their activities.
“Both religion and education ministries must exercise control mechanisms to prevent radical content being exposed to school children,” he said.
Indonesia has seen growing numbers of radical groups shortly after the 1998 reformation era. Ever since, radical groups emerged in Indonesian society, forcing the government to take a serious measures to control radical groups.
Source : Jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com