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What We Do

Indonesia

Thinking Together About
Jihad Without Terrorism

Surprisingly, Indonesia is known to be one of the key strategic points in global terrorism, where numerous extremists have been arrested for planning terrorist attacks. In prisons, such individuals are often not given adequate care, resulting in their release while still clinging to their extremist ideologies. What's more, not only extremists but also ordinary young people have been exposed to radical propaganda and beliefs in their daily lives. They are therefore at risk of becoming involved in terrorism in the future. Therefore, Accept International supports their de-radicalization, social reintegration, and prevention of radicalization in order to protect ex-terrorists and young people from the further threat of global terrorism.

Since the early 1990s, a violent extremist organization called Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) has emerged in Indonesia. Its members have carried out terrorist attacks such as suicide bombings in the country's capital and neighboring countries. Similarly, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) and other successor organizations have been active since 2010, spreading fear of terrorism throughout the country. In response to such a situation, the national police and military routed the extremists in the late 2010s. Consequently, this massive exposure embedded the risk of re-radicalization upon release, as detainees received neither adequate deradicalization nor social reintegration support. Thus, many captured members returned to violent extremist organizations and failed to achieve economic and social independence.

Overall, the comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism, as opposed to the limited measures such as restrictions and expulsions carried out by the authorities, is essential in Indonesia, where the threat of global terrorism has been provoked. In order to improve the situation, Accept International will continue deradicalization, social reintegration, and prevention of online radicalization projects.

Our Activities in Indonesia

De-Radicalization and positive reintegration project

Since 2018, we have provided comprehensive support to both ex-terrorist members who have already been released from prison and terrorist inmates in Central Java, in accordance with various local stakeholders. In particular, for the former terrorist members who have been discriminated against and isolated from the community, we provide comprehensive deradicalization and social reintegration programs. For example, in the interactive religious seminar, which is one of the activities for their deradicalization, we guide them toward deradicalization by starting with the question "Is terrorist attack the most practical method?" after the individuals have accepted their belief in jihad. We sit down with them and discuss and debate various topics such as the Quran and Hadith. Additionally, upon collaboration with local NGOs and the probation office, we follow up with them by visiting their communities and homes, consulting with them on any issues related to their financial and social independence, and monitoring them on an ongoing basis. We also hold regular meetings with the individuals and their probation officers to discuss their problems and talk about their daily lives.

While we offer a range of post-release activities for ex-terrorists, we also run deradicalization and social reintegration projects for inmates, particularly terrorism offenders. Due to the security situation in Indonesia, they are isolated from the general prison population and remain under close supervision and restraint. In such an environment, inmates have not received adequate support for deradicalization and social reintegration. As such, we provide them with mental health and deradicalization counseling, vocational training, and psychosocial counseling for social and economic independence. We also operate capacity building for both prison and probation officers on the practical skills of assessment and vocational training. Through these activities, we aim to improve the condition of inmates and the feasibility of social reintegration after their release. In 2024, we will initiate the construction/renovation of the counseling room in the prison to help expand its capacity in the long term.

On the other hand, we offer a radicalization prevention project targeting youth in Indonesia. To address the issues of online radicalization and recruitment by violent extremist groups, a holistic approach (e.g. community self-regulation, development of a counter-narrative to messages from extremist groups, etc.) that is not limited to a systematic approach is essential. The CIOR project (Collective Impact for Online Radicalisation Project) was established to develop this holistic approach. The project invites participants from both Japan and Indonesia to form a team of five people who have the necessary qualifications and skills to develop and implement the new approach. The team have (1) learned from each other about online radicalization through training, (2) developed the approach to preventing online radicalization, and (3) implemented the approach to test its effectiveness. We have carried out outreach and advocacy activities as a good model for civil society initiatives to prevent online radicalization.

At first, I didn’t believe a non-Islam Japanese could help us with anything. However, looking back at my past with them, and workshops for real life situations was very meaningful for me.

- Arifin / former Member of the violent extremist group, Laskar Hisbah

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This project is supported by Citizen’s Fund Grand

Citizen's Fund Grand