REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By: Toni Ervianto *)

The existence of terror’s group in every country has always been created a serious problems. For Indonesia as a Moslem majority country will be targeted by Islamic State (IS) as a core regions to recruit their new members or sympathizer. Indeed, the existence of social media is also using by terror’s group as a recruitment tools. Besides, our migrant’s worker at several countries also as a targeted group which has been recruited by IS. The facts are indicating that terror’s threat never die.

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has warned of the growing efforts by radical movements to spread their views through social media. As a new global terrorist power, the IS is striving to recruit young people as its members. Several recent terrorism cases showed that the terror perpetrators were aged between 20 and 30 years.

Many radical sites have used Islam to mask their crimes as their content contradicts Islamic values. The radical movements now have a new pattern; they are getting smarter to benefit from information technology.

The radical sites had created terrorists who were radicalized via the internet. They can learn how to create a home-made bomb or other terrorist actions on the internet. The internet had revealed new groups other than the 21 radical groups known to have affiliated with IS.

Cyber technology allowed all issues to develop on social media. Unfortunately, radical groups such as IS often used this technology as a propaganda and campaign tool. The radical groups had continued to boost their campaigns.

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) is investigating widespread information of a “significant increase” in the number of Indonesian citizens working in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who have become supporters of the Islamic State (IS) terror group. “Until today, we do not yet have accurate information about it. We are still investigating it,” BNPT head Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian said as quoted by Antara news agency in Beijing on Wednesday evening, local time.

News reports earlier revealed that IS was approaching Indonesian workers in Hong Kong to join the extremist group. A domestic worker from Indonesia told local newspaper Oriental Daily News that many workers from Indonesia had received leaflets about IS recruitment. Asia One reported that in the leaflets IS claimed the Indonesians would be employed in Xinjiang, China. It was not clear what kind of jobs the group would offer, however.

The head of an Indonesian migrant workers' association in Hong Kong, who wanted to remain anonymous, said such recruitment had been conducted for two years. Previously, there were only one or two people distributing IS leaflets. As the number of IS supporters has continued to grow, however, the leaflets are almost routinely distributed at gatherings of migrant workers in Hong Kong.

The association head further said that groups supported by IS, in which the members were mostly domestic helpers, were quite different to other groups. They appeared to be solitary and secretive. Joan Tsui, an official from an umbrella organization of foreign workers in Hong Kong, expressed her concerns about IS recruitment occurring among migrant workers. “I’m worried about those migrant domestic helpers, who might be emotionally influenced if they join with [IS related] groups,” said Tsui. “They could become temperamental and this could be dangerous for children they look after,” she went on.

Separately, the head of the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), Nusron Wahid, said several countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong were prone to the recruitment of Indonesian workers as IS followers.

What Should We Do ?

To minimalizing terror’s threat in social media, the goverment apparatus must be banned all of the maters terror group’s propaganda. To realizing those purpose, the Indonesia’s goverment must be joined with the operator of social media. I think our President’s has had a good relations with Michael Zuckerberg, a CEO facebook can arrange a new cooperation against terror propaganda especially in Facebook.

After that, the Indonesia’s goverment must ask for help to Facebook’s CEO to convincingly another social media global owner’s to togetherness against the efforts of terror’s group to deliver their propaganda in social media. The togetherness must be built because IS recruitment in social media is still jeopardize for world’s stability and the future of peaceful world.

Another way’s can be implemented to minimilize IS’s propaganda in social media is the goverment and other staholders such as Islamic organization, academia, NGO, mass media, prominent figure, actor/actress and social activist must be cooperated together to make a strategic efforts and a strategic planning to counter IS’s propaganda in social media.

Whereas, to reject and minimalize IS’s recruitment to Indonesia’s migrant workers, the goverment especially manpowers ministry and foreign ministry should be controlled the mechanism of migrant workers to have their permit, intelligent agency must up to date the data of company which is sending migrant workers to abroad, the police apparatus must be caught a perpretators of IS’s recruiter, the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) must be given a proportional information and education about the endangering if migrant’s worker is joining with radical and terror’s group.

However, the threat and the existance of radical groups, terror’s group and intolerance’s group should be a big paid attention. Furthermore, the goverment must boost and spur national welfare, economic stability and never to make a wrong national policy. Last but not least, multi cultural education should be implementated as soon as possible and a positive message including positive news must be delivered all day to raise our faith and our braveness against terror’s threat. Hopefully.

*The writer is a security and political issue observer focusing on terror’s threat. Earned his master at the University of Indonesia. Residing in East Jakarta.

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