INDONESIA’S MODERATE ISLAM COUNTERING RELIGIOUS RADICALISM AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE*

Masmuhah
 S. Sos (Bachelor of Social and Political Science), Master Candidate in University of Indonesia, Indonesia, masmuhahoecha@hotmail.com
*Sponsored by Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Ministry of Finance – Republic of Indonesia

Abstract
Indonesia is a good model of moslem democracy. The Islamic resurgence and the growing of democracy in North Africa and the Middle East becomes increasingly important, when it give more choice to Muslim countries to be more Islamised or secularized. Some groups emerged with religious radicalism ideology. They actively commit a violence, terrorism, and military action on its behalf. One of the military intervention is ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Since declaring its caliphate, ISIS has conducted or inspired more than 140 terrorist attacks in 29 countries other than Iraq and Syria, Such as Tunis, Turkey, France, Egypt, Lebanon, Indonesia, etc. ISIS phenomena, political violence and terrorism which cover by the name of Islam has been bothering and tarnished nature of Islam as a mercy to the world’s (rahmatan lil’alamin). Terrorist attacks are not new in Indonesia. Following the 9/11 attacks, terror threat alerts rose in many parts of the world. Recent attack occurred in  January 2016, when multiple explosions near the Sarinah, Jakarta. The attack was the first to be claimed by ISIS. Currently there exists no formal ISIS presence in Southeast Asia and there is little to suggest a significant ISIS threat to the region. Hegemony political of Islam must be replaced by Islamic moderate values, tolerance and peace-building. In consideration of this topic, Islam in Indonesia exists with the moderate values with no violence or religious hatred. This paper tends to reaffirm Indonesia’s Islam Moderate strategies and efforts to counter religious radicalism and political violence in Indonesia. The identity of being Muslim is the universal primordial —where the humanity concept will be incorporated subsequently— within the global political Islamic movements. Islam must be preserved to maintain the existence of democracy and country’s integration. In addition, they have to promote to worldwide as one of the peaceful face in Islam.

Keywords: ISIS, radicalism, democracy, political violence, Moderate