BNPT Invites Da'wah Students Through Social Media

JAKARTA - Head of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) Komjen Pol Boy Rafli Amar invites students to intensify da'wah on social media (medsos), considering that this platform is widely used by certain groups to spread radical ideas. Boy Rafli said in a statement received in Jakarta, Thursday, March 17. Boy revealed that this irresponsible radical group used various narratives on social media to spread their understanding. Not only in Indonesian, but also in English. "They are propagating that in Syria there will be a world Islamic state that gives new hope, so that more than 120 countries whose citizens are exposed to this invitation," he also said. This incident proves that the narrative of radicalism is dangerous, because it can influence many people who are then used for certain purposes. Therefore, Boy stated that the students need to continue to develop narratives on social media that Islam is rahmatan lil alamin which means that Islam is a mercy for the universe.

With this good understanding, Boy continued, Indonesian Muslims are not used by certain groups for criminal purposes such as during the ISIS campaign. Radical understanding is not just a discourse. As many as 2,157 Indonesians went to Syria to join ISIS or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. ISIS used them to overthrow the legitimate government by occupying several provinces. Crimes then occurred with murder. As many as 2,157 Indonesians in Syria, some of them died, were detained, and some returned to Indonesia. “There are also those who are still in refugee camps today, mainly women and children. The number is around 370 people. Of that number, 82 are under 10 years old," he said. To prevent this from happening again, Boy Rafli invited the students to be more aggressive in preaching on social media.