Palu City MUI Encourages Muslim Missionaries To Fight Narratives Of Intolerance, Radicalism And Terrorism Through Social Media

Chairman of MUI Palu City Prof Dr KH Zainal Abidin MAg (DOK VIA ANTARA)

PALU - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Palu City, Central Sulawesi Province, asked missionaries in the area to fight propaganda containing narratives of intolerance and radicalism on social media.

"We have to optimize the use of social media as a medium for outreach and da'wah, to fight propaganda that has nuances and contains narratives of intolerance and radicalism," said Palu City MUI Chair Prof. KH Zainal Abidin MAg in Palu, Antara, Sunday, February 20.

Zainal said the times have given birth to advances in information technology that make it easier for humans to interact and access various information.

"Currently social media has become a human need, as a consequence of the times, which have directly changed human lifestyles. So almost all humans on this earth depend on social media as a medium of communication and information," said Prof Zainal Abidin.

The Professor of Modern Islamic Thought at UIN Datokarama Palu stated that human dependence on social media is used by some groups to spread information/da'wah containing narratives of intolerance and radicalism.

In fact, social media is used as a tool by radical groups to indoctrinate someone so that they are willing and willing to follow the ideas and opinions held by them.

"So this must be fought, social media must be optimized by each of us, to fight intolerance, radicalism and terrorism," he said.

MUI Palu admits that da'wah for counter intolerance and radicalism in social medicine is very low, even though it is very important and must be intensified.

"Our society, our young generation prefers instant things, they only visit social media YouTube and so on, to learn religion. So, don't let them fall into things that we all don't want," he added.

MUI Palu, said Prof. Zainal, appealed to religious people, especially the younger generation of Muslims, to learn religion from those who understand religion.

"Learn and ask leaders, clerics who have a broad understanding of religion, who deserve to be used as sources, or come to the Palu MUI Office, the MUI Office is open to the public," he said.

MUI Palu has prepared social media content that functions as a medium for education and da'wah, one of the goals of which is to prevent da'wah with narratives of intolerance, radicalism and terrorism.