Terrorism In Indonesia: A Review On Rehabilitation And Deradicalization

Abstract

In the context where terrorism is viewed as an act of crime based on ideology

Insights from a deradicalization program in Indonesian prisons: The potential benefits of psychological intervention prior to ideological discussion

“…Previously, the government and related parties had experienced strong resistance to the early implementation of religious discussion during terrorist rehabilitation activities. Many detainees firmly believed that the program meant nothing to them and that they had only changed due to their own will (Sukabdi, ). The resistance from terrorist inmates to the deradicalization program was also linked to their belief that the program will corrupt their long‐held beliefs, as the program often targeted their sacred text‐based interpretations that are used to justify violent acts (Milla, ).…”

“…This deradicalization program provided them with emotional support via meetings with family members and clerics for a brief discussion before being proceeded to investigation and trials by authorities (Bouzar & Martin, ). Saudi Arabia and other Islamic‐majority countries often provide terrorist detainees with a chance to discuss their ideas and life choices with moderate Islamic scholars (Azam & Fatima, ; Kruglanski, et al, ; Lankford & Gillespie, ; Sukabdi, ).…”

“…The deradicalization program in Indonesia has undergone many changes in accordance with new insights and thorough evaluation of both terrorist detainees and the general public’s perception of the program since 2006 (Abbas, ). Before the implementation of program based in behavioral science in 2015, deradicalization was delivered through counterideology debates between appointed Islamic scholars and terrorist detainees (Sukabdi, ). The counterideology program by itself was considered ineffective due to high recidivism rates and thus was welcomed only by very few beneficiaries (Istiqomah, ; Osman, ).…”

Attitude toward rehabilitation as a key predictor for adopting alternative identities in deradicalization programs: An investigation of terrorist detainees’ profiles

“…Several programs led by the Indonesian government combine interdisciplinary perspectives, including Islamic theology (e.g., inculcating peaceful jihad), sociology (e.g., assisting detainees to manage their social networks), and psychology (e.g., altering individual goals and motivating individuals’ participation in intervention programs). Despite these many efforts being implemented, the effectiveness of such programs remains questionable (Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, ; Sukabdi, ; Suratman, ).…”

“…This approach was adopted as a response to the modus operandi employed by terrorist groups in Indonesia, which influences and recruits people with psychological vulnerabilities (Milla et al., ; Putra & Sukabdi, ). As argued by Sukabdi (), rehabilitation efforts that focus on moderating beliefs and changing detainees’ ideology tend to have limited success. Therefore, we argue that additional strategies are needed.…”