Joining ISIS is Wrong Choice: PBNU

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - All Indonesian citizens should refrain from joining the radical movement of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Nahdlatul Ulama Central Executive Board (PBNU) Deputy Secretary General, Adnan Anwar said.

"There is no reason for Indonesian citizens to follow the throng to the Middle East to join the ISIS," Adnan said on Friday.

He noted that the ISIS-related conflict in the Middle East was by no means related to ideology or had any geopolitical implications for Indonesia.

According to him, the conflict in the Middle East was actually related to an economic matter, namely the conquest of natural resources in the region.

"Therefore, in my opinion the ISIS mobilization in Indonesia has been misguided, for there is no jihad there," he noted.

On a separate occasion, the University of Indonesia Students Executive Board Chairman, Andi Aulia Rahman, said the notion of violence had become a serious threat to Indonesia.

"Today radicalism has become a dangerous threat to the young people in Indonesia, because many of them have been affected and go to other countries to join the movement," he said.

According to him, efforts to combat radicalism cannot entirely be the state's responsibility. Indeed, the main shield against teaching radicalism lies in the hands of young people themselves.

"A powerful way to prevent this threat is to filter out all of the information received. We can filter the radical information by browsing on the internet, asking family members and the teachers for clarifications," he said.

Rahman noted that the second shield for preventing radicalism was the family, because the family is the main pillar for the younger generation. (WDY)