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Have social media and pop culture helped the government counter terrorism and encourage moderate views on Islam?

Yes, according to leading terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp, research director of the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College. He said Indonesia has been able to prevent the widespread development of extremism and marginalized terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which is linked to Al Qaeda.

Ranstorp’s center interviewed a cross-section of anti-extremism groups, religious organizations, defense officials and past and present members of JI, the Southeast Asian network blamed for attacks including the 2002 bombing in Bali that killed 202 people.

The results of the study, conducted for the Swedish Inter­national Development Agency and released this week, show that Indonesia has relied on a mix of measures, including information campaigns that encourage debate on extremist issues using the Inter­net and TV.

Another is the use of highly respected religious figures to promote moderate interpretations of Islam. The study cites the success of Indonesian pop star Ahmad Dhani, whose anti-extremist song “Laskar Cinta,’’ or “Army of Love,’’ sold millions of copies.

“Using pop culture is extremely important,’’ Ranstorp said on Tuesday. “It’s really about sort of maximum reach with a message’’ of tolerance.

The study noted that interest in interfaith dialogue was increasing in Indonesia. In Java, for example, Christians have visited and lived with Muslims at Islamic boarding schools, and in rural areas, Christian and Muslim youth have worked together on welfare projects.

Julian Aldren Pasha, spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, credits government efforts to forge relationships with potential extremists throughout Indonesia, which Pasha believes has helped foster better understanding among groups and kept violent radicalism at bay.

But terrorism analyst Sidney Jones, senior adviser for the Inter­national Crisis Group, said popular culture and interfaith dialogue have nothing to do with Indonesia’s success. Far more important, she says, is its track record of getting extremists off the streets through strong police work, and bringing members of violent networks to trial.

And there is another key factor, she said: “The places where you’ve got the strongest terrorist movements are places that are either under occupation in the middle of a war, beset by a repressive government, or possessed of an alienated Muslim minority. And Indonesia doesn’t fit any of those categories.”

Ranstorp said more studies were needed to determine which measures have had the most impact, and how they can be applied elsewhere. Still, he thinks there are many important lessons to be learned from the review.

“It’s a good showcase ... of how the battle within Islam can be won,” he said.



Associated Press