Jakarta Millennial Children Declare Anti-Extremism and Radicalism

JAKARTA – Sunday, January 6, 2019. Five teenagers went up to the stage with the words Convey Festival #MeyakiniMengaluing the CFD area at Jl. Sudirman, Jakarta, then simultaneously delivered a declaration of Anti-Extremism and Radicalism. This declaration was then followed by more than a hundred other young generations below the stage with enthusiasm. This declaration is part of a series of events at the Convey Festival #MeyakiniMengharga, which has previously been successfully held in Yogyakarta and Makassar, 9 and 16 December 2018.

“There have been many studies and surveys that show an increase in the level of intolerance and radicalism in various circles of society, especially young people. So it’s not just a roll of issues. This news needs to be acted on. Some of us still think that it is just the spread of hate speech and exclusivism, without us knowing the aftermath of the impact on people we judge differently and making us brave enough to commit acts of violence against them, without us knowing that the impact is bigger, namely destroying the harmony of the nation that was born. above diversity, ”said the Project Officer of the Convey Festival #MeyakiniMengharga, Hani Samantha.

The issue of intolerance and extremism has become more prevalent in recent years. Last year, a suicide bombing carried out by a family at a police headquarters in East Java reinforces that the issue of violent extremism in this country is not just a fabrication.

Convey Indonesia itself is a program organized by the PPIM (Center for Islamic and Community Studies) UIN Jakarta and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) in collaboration with various communities and peace-promoting organizations that aim to prevent violent extremism in Indonesia through a series of surveys, policy advocacy and public interaction based on the potential of religious education. The Indonesian Convey program touches on issues of tolerance, diversity, and nonviolence among the younger generation. The Student / Student Religion Survey conducted by PPIM in 2017 found that 37.71% of respondents interpreted Jihad as war. In fact, one-third of respondents thought that an apostate should be killed and 33.34% of respondents felt that it was okay to act intolerance to those with different beliefs.

Seeing this shocking data, Convey Indonesia took the initiative to hold various activities to massively campaign the message of peace and tolerance between people regardless of differences. One of these activities is the #MeyakiniMeng Rewarding Convey Festival with a series of roadshows to visit Car Free Day (CFD) areas in several cities. The meaning of the hashtag (#) MeyakiniMenghargai is that the more we trust and have faith in each other’s beliefs, the more we respect diversity and differences!

This time, the #MeyakiniMenghargai Roadshow Festival in Jakarta was filled with a series of activities typical of the younger generation. Starting with the Zumba dance, Fun Walk, the declaration of “Indonesia Millennial Movement on Peace and Prevention of Violent Extremism”, traditional games with prizes, peace speeches, book donations, face painting, to a tree of hope containing a message of peace.