TheJakartaPost
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What draws people to the religious right?
It is difficult to point to “a lack of education” as the reason why people support religious conservatism and share their thoughts online.
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A woman peeks through a window at the Bambu Apus social shelter in East Jakarta on Feb. 6. The shelter houses Indonesians deported from Turkey for allegedly attempting to enter Syria and join the Islamic State group. The government put them in custody at the shelter for a deradicalization program before returning them to their hometowns. (Antara/Yulius Staria Wijaya)
I
t’s common now for my friends to vent their frustration by sharing captured images from an online conversation or social media post. The posts are usually addressed to a third party, but the message is offending enough for my friends that they need to discuss them.
In Indonesia, such posts are usually related to religious morality. A public figure might post a meme outlining the benefits of marrying early and having many children, or making a list of women’s bad habits, or insisting that the Earth is flat. A relative might be obsessed with what is halal and what isharam. An acquaintance believes that the city is besieged by gays and immigrants.
Sometimes my friends reply and save the conversation. Often, they say they could not stand such folly going unchallenged and so had to say something. Some find their thrills in online debate, especially when a battle of logic and religious knowledge are involved.
Often, however, they just feel sad and frustrated thinking about how people can maintain their ignorance, or bigotry, or treating others like fools.
