TERRORISM PSYCHOLOGY

The title sounds like a new discipline but this isn't. Couple of days ago I watched a talkshow called SAVE OUR NATION on Metro TV, viewing Prof. Komarudin Hidayat, one of the country's best moslem scholars ever. He elaborated how the root of terrorism grows in Indonesia, and above all he suggested to study the psychological state of those terrorism upholders.

RECRUITING YOUTHS THROUGH EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

It's hardly thinkable for most of us that terrorism uses this channel to survive and develop. Extracurricular activities high school or college students taking part in are allegedly to be the potential, effective "underground tunnel" for Noordin's and his partners to get new members.

The steps of recruitment, according to Hidayat, are inviting the potential youths to a group discussion, observing them, selecting the most potential one(s). They decide the most potential youngsters by scrutinzing their traits (usually young men with extreme stubborness, high intelligence and curiosity are chosen as the promising candidates). Soon after, these innocent young men are closely watched and observed, especially in terms of their personal life and problems. Disappointment, anger, feeling of being neglected may be destablizing their sensible minds and this is something terrorists are looking for. Hobbies and interests are some other way of attracting young people. Supplying them with what they want is a way to make them feel indebted to the recruiters. And the last step is convincing them that they have done uncounted sins which of course can't be redeemed by doing ordinary way of repenting. Simply said, the youths have to leave everything worldly to achieve the 'promised' heaven.

ROOTS OF TERROR

Hidayat emphazised the wrongly-designed Indonesian education system. These flaws in turn led this nation to being ignorant of any other equally or more vital issues. Hidayat took "ujian nasional" case as the typical example. Too much attention were given to design, train the students to pass the tests. One thing the authority completely forgot was that passing the exams didn't guarantee the students' character building. Our students are knowledgable but they're weak when it comes to dealing with their own personal issues, setting their goals to a better life, being completely blind to decide who they are or who they are going to be in the future, they have no life principles. In a nutshell, Indonesian students are wandering around, looking for the identity but what they don't know is that identity is primarily built by themselves, not by others. That's why we've had an teenaged suicide bomber recently.

HOW TO COUNTERACT TERRORISM

"Islam is destroyed mainly due to moslems, not by anyone or anything else", Hidayat added. Indonesia is the country where the biggest number of moslems are living, but why can terrorism thrive here? Thus, there must be something....no, many things wrong with our being moslems.

Moslems in Indonesia, in my opinion, pay too much attention on how to build Islamic symbols. Therefore, when it comes to worldly businesses, they seem to be less spirited. Most of Indonesian moslems know the meaning of "Kebersihan sebagian dari iman" but how many of us don't treat rivers as our gigantic sewage ditch where we can throw anything we want away? I recalled a story told by my pal, he told me he was going somewhere with his American friend, and guess what...they spotted some feeble elderly walking on sidewalk, wanting to cross the street. But the one who first initiated to help and get the elderly crossed was the American not my moslem Indonesian pal. Ironic but true! I think we are too much consumed by our prejudice that America or any western parts of this world is place where people are drinking liquor freely, having free sex or things like that.

They forget there are western people who like to help, think behave or act in a way a moslem is supposed to have. Like what I said, we preached too often about the importance of cleanliness but anyone can see how dirty Ciliwung is, how miserable our waste treatment is.

As moslems, we must admit that some foreign, western cultural values are good and worth adopting. It is highly possible that we can be adopting some of their values without losing our faith.

I think it's the time for moslems to review themselves, what to improve, fix and discard.