Hasyim Muzadi said the National Police had focused on preventing the IS movement only partially.

'€œThere have been no measures to address the root causes of terrorism. It'€™s time for the state and all religious leaders to coordinate to prevent the emergence of terrorism,'€ said Hasyim, who is also a member of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres).

He said that eliminating terrorism could only be achieved if religious leaders could handle the emergence of terrorism.

The NU leader made the comments during a coordination meeting on tackling IS in Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday.

Representatives of the National Police, the Indonesian Military, local administration officials from across Central Java, religious leaders and academics attended the coordination meeting.

Hasyim went on to say that in terrorism prevention, religious leaders must be protected so they would not feel that they were walking alone. '€œMoreover, religious leaders working with the root causes must be equipped with comprehensive information on radical movements and terrorism,'€ he said.

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), via the Communications and Information Ministry, recently blocked 22 sites deemed to be promoting radical views, to prevent the spread of IS influence in Indonesia. The closures drew criticism that no mediation was conducted prior to the closure of the sites.

Hasyim said terrorism eradication must be based on the interests of the country.

'€œThis should not be conducted based on other countries as they also have certain interests in eradicating terrorism,'€ he said. (ebf)(++++)

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