REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Moslim scholar Azyumardi Azra has urged the government to routinely monitor websites that spread violent ideology to threaten national peace and intergrity.

He also suggested that the government would block radical sites that are proven promoting hate and violence.

"Sites that promote violent ideologies, instigate and spread hate must be blocked," he said.

The director of the post-graduate program of Syarif Hidayatullah state Islamic university in Jakarta said that blocking negative sites was normal and also done by other countries.

He said the Chinese government also has been very active blocking radical sites and the US has also blocked those that violate its constitution and laws.

He however suggested that the government through the ministry of communication and informatics should act wisely in conducting the action.

Regarding the parameter Azyumardi said it would be determined upon their ideas, adding if the ideas they spread were unusual and they do not want to follow the general public it means they are radical and wish to make changes very fast and thoroughly using unconventioal methods.

"If then the radical ideas are implemented in the form of actions such as planting bombs it means terrorism," he said.

Azyumardi admitted that interprettion could differ with regard to the parameter and some even consider radical action is good but in terms of religion or sociology radicalism is bad.

He expressed appreciation to what the government through its National Anti-terrorism Agency had done to embrace the younger generation so far to prevent them from being influenced by violent ideology.

Azyumardi warned that groups that spread violence no longer rely on conventional means such as sernons and propagation but they have shitted to internet that has a wider coverge so that their monitoring would be very important.

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