Cultivating Critical Citizenship and Democratic Resilience Among Indonesian Youth: A Participatory Framework for Preventing Violent Extremism

Zulfachry Zulfachry; Zul Rachmat

doi:10.30598/publicusvol3iss2p183-200

Zulfachry Zulfachry Puangrimaggalatung University
Zul Rachmat Amika Soppeng College of Management and Computer Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30598/publicusvol3iss2p183-200

Keywords: National Integrity, Youth, Radicalism, Nationalism, Patriotism, Character Education

Abstract

This study examines strategies for building national integrity among Indonesian youth as a countermeasure against radicalism. Radicalism, defined as ideological movements seeking drastic social and political change through extreme means, poses significant threats to Indonesia's national unity. Youth, as the nation's assets and future leaders, are particularly vulnerable to radical recruitment due to their idealism and energy. National integrity encompasses qualities of wholeness, honesty, and consistency toward truth that manifest in dignified behavior. The research identifies that radical movements in Indonesia, including terrorism and separatist activities, frequently involve youth participation, making it crucial to strengthen their nationalist and patriotic values. The study proposes nine strategic approaches: (1) instilling nationalism through the four pillars of nationhood (Pancasila, 1945 Constitution, NKRI, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika); (2) developing patriotism through family, educational, and institutional environments; (3) cultivating the spirit and values of 1945 struggle; (4) implementing character education through formal, informal, and non-formal channels; (5) enhancing positive youth roles through empowerment programs; (6) educating about Indonesia's unity history; (7) forming attitudes embracing diversity; (8) exploring and implementing nationalist values; and (9) fostering brotherhood through youth organizations. This comprehensive approach aims to equip Indonesian youth with strong national identity and critical thinking to resist radical ideologies while maintaining their role as agents of positive change.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anderson, B. (2020). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. In The new social theory reader (pp. 282–288). Routledge.

Arifianto, A. R. (2019). Islamic campus preaching organizations in Indonesia: Promoters of moderation or radicalism? Asian Security, 15(3), 323–342.

Assyaukanie, L. (2019). Religion as a political tool: Secular and Islamist roles in Indonesian elections. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 13(2), 454–479.

Bardwell, H., & Iqbal, M. (2021). The economic impact of terrorism from 2000 to 2018. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 27(2), 227–261.

Bertrand, J. (2004). Nationalism and ethnic conflict in Indonesia. Cambridge University Press.

Bubolz, B. F., & Simi, P. (2015). Leaving the world of hate: Life-course transitions and self-change. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(12), 1588–1608.

Conway, M. (2016). Determining the role of the Internet in violent extremism and terrorism. In Violent extremism online (pp. 123–148). Routledge.

Dahliyana, A., Budimansyah, D., Nurdin, E. S., & Suryadi, A. (2021). The Challenges of Civic and Moral Educations for Young Muslim Indonesian. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 13(2).

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.

Feddes, A. R., & Gallucci, M. (2015). A literature review on methodology used in evaluating effects of preventive and de-radicalisation interventions. Journal for Deradicalization, 5, 1–27.

Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change. Teachers college press.

Gielen, A.-J. (2015). Supporting families of foreign fighters. A realistic approach for measuring the effectiveness. Journal for Deradicalization, 2, 21–48.

Goldberg, T., Schwarz, B. B., & Porat, D. (2011). “Could they do it differently?”: Narrative and argumentative changes in students’ writing following discussion of “hot” historical issues. Cognition and Instruction, 29(2), 185–217.

Halstead, M., & Pike, M. (2006). Citizenship and moral education: Values in action. Routledge.

Hogg, M. A., & Adelman, J. (2013). Uncertainty–identity theory: Extreme groups, radical behavior, and authoritarian leadership. Journal of Social Issues, 69(3), 436–454.

Hosen, N. (2017). Sharia, State and Legal Pluralism in Indonesia: How Law Can You Go? In Pluralism, Transnationalism and Culture in Asian Law: A Book in Honour of MB Hooker (pp. 208–230). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Karis, B., & Cochran Jr, D. M. (2019). Risk communication and community resilience. Routledge, London.

Kirshner, B. (2015). Youth activism in an era of education inequality (Vol. 2). NYU Press.

Kristjánsson, K. (2016). Aristotelian character education: A précis of the 2015 book. Journal of Moral Education, 45(4), 481–489.

Kruglanski, A. W., Gelfand, M. J., Bélanger, J. J., Sheveland, A., Hetiarachchi, M., & Gunaratna, R. (2014). The psychology of radicalization and deradicalization: How significance quest impacts violent extremism. Political Psychology, 35, 69–93.

Latif, Y. (2020). Reaktualisasi Pancasila. Pusat Pendidikan Pancasila Dan Konstitusi, 1–28.

Mietzner, M., & Muhtadi, B. (2018). Explaining the 2016 Islamist mobilisation in Indonesia: Religious intolerance, militant groups and the politics of accommodation. Asian Studies Review, 42(3), 479–497.

Milla, M. N., Faturochman, & Ancok, D. (2013). The impact of leader–follower interactions on the radicalization of terrorists: A case study of the B ali bombers. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 16(2), 92–100.

Neumann, P. R. (2013). Options and strategies for countering online radicalization in the United States. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 36(6), 431–459.

Parker, L. (2014). Religious education for peaceful coexistence in Indonesia? South East Asia Research, 22(4), 487–504.

Pearson, E. (2018). Online as the new frontline: Affect, gender, and ISIS-take-down on social media. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 41(11), 850–874.

Saltman, E. M., & Smith, M. (2015). “Till Martyrdom Do Us Part”: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon. Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Santi, F., & Basit, A. (2019). Sandiaga Uno’s Personal Branding in The Midst of Indonesian Millennial Generation. International Conference on Democratisation in Southeast Asia (ICDeSA 2019), 263–266.

Schulze, K. E., & Hwang, J. C. (2019). Militant Islam in Southeast Asia. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 41(1), 1–13.

Shiraishi, T. (2019). An age in motion: Popular radicalism in Java, 1912–1926. In An Age in Motion. Cornell University Press.

Steinberg, L. D. (2014). Age of opportunity: Lessons from the new science of adolescence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Stephens, W., Sieckelinck, S., & Boutellier, H. (2021). Preventing violent extremism: A review of the literature. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 44(4), 346–361.

Suhartini, S., Sekarningrum, B., Sulaeman, M., & Gunawan, W. (2019). Social construction of student behavior through character education based on local wisdom. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 10(3), 276–291.

Tajfel, H., Turner, J., Austin, W. G., & Worchel, S. (2001). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. Intergroup Relations: Essential Readings, 94–109.

Van Bruinessen, M. (2012). Indonesian Muslims and their place in the larger world of Islam. Indonesia Rising: The Repositioning of Asia’s Third Giant, 117–140.

Vergani, M., Barton, G., & Wahid, Y. (2021). Understanding Violent Extremism in Indonesia. In Countering Violent and Hateful Extremism in Indonesia: Islam, Gender and Civil Society (pp. 29–62). Springer.

Vergani, M., Iqbal, M., Ilbahar, E., & Barton, G. (2020). The three Ps of radicalization: Push, pull and personal. A systematic scoping review of the scientific evidence about radicalization into violent extremism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 43(10), 854.

Webber, D., Babush, M., Schori-Eyal, N., Vazeou-Nieuwenhuis, A., Hettiarachchi, M., Bélanger, J. J., Moyano, M., Trujillo, H. M., Gunaratna, R., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2018). The road to extremism: Field and experimental evidence that significance loss-induced need for closure fosters radicalization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(2), 270.

Zeldin, S., Christens, B. D., & Powers, J. L. (2013). The psychology and practice of youth-adult partnership: Bridging generations for youth development and community change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 51(3), 385–397.

Zora, A. S. (2015). Terrorism in Indonesia: A review on rehabilitation and deradicalization. Journal of Terrorism Research.