T

he Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry has called on university campuses to remain vigilant regarding religious student organizations to thwart any influence by radical groups.

The ministry also wants teaching staff, including lecturers, deans and even rectors, to have more critical discussions with students so that they do not simply accept extreme doctrines.

The ministry'€™s director general for learning and student affairs, Intan Ahmad, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that vulnerability to radical doctrines, such as those from the Islamic State (IS) militant movement, escalated when students were close-minded.

It was the responsibility of educators to encourage critical thinking, he said.

'€œUniversities have to be more sensitive [to issues] as the government can'€™t always tightly monitor the activities [of radical student organizations]. Lecturers can involve students in discussion, teaching them how to think critically so that they always '€œask why'€ when receiving new information,'€ Intan said.

He encouraged for a discussion to be embedded in all courses, not only those concerning religion and civic education. But admitted that would not be easy as not all lecturers were capable of engaging students in such discussion.

He also said that he had already asked the Religious Affairs Ministry to strengthen tolerance teaching in religion lectures.

'€œWe can'€™t deny that radical ideology, in any form, is very dangerous, so it must be a never-ending effort,'€ he added.

The country has seen a growing influence of Islamic militant movements over the years.

The dissemination of fundamentalist ideologies to young generations is currently at an alarming level, and it is spreading through hard-line religious student organizations, according to a study.

Research conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in five state universities '€” the University of Indonesia (UI), Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Airlangga University and Brawijaya University '€” has shown that a number of fundamentalist Islamic student organizations have dominated campus activities.

The organizations include Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and the United Front of Indonesian Muslim Students (KAMMI), a group very interested in the Islamic political agenda of Egypt-based Ikhwanul Muslimin (IM), as well as various transnational Islamic Wahabi groups.

HTI is known as a fundamentalist Islamic group spreading an ideology that opposes the principles of the Pancasila, the Constitution and the national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity).

In almost all its activities, HTI campaigns for the implementation of sharia and an Islamic caliphate system.

LIPI senior researcher Anas Saidi said that conditions at the five surveyed universities were not improving, and if anything support was growing for such organizations, currently capturing more than 50 percent of all students.

'€œIt'€™s dangerous. If it keeps going, Indonesia may face terrific ideological clashes in 10 to 20 years from now,'€ Anas said.

He pointed out that the organizations were deemed worrying as they preached very closed-minded Islamic teachings and did not allow space for democratic thinking, insisting on their interpretation of Islamic values.

According to the research, students majoring in science and engineering are more susceptible to the worrying ideologies, while those studying social and political science, humanities and philosophy are more resistant, because they are more open-minded and don'€™t see things in absolutist terms.

Anas further said that the organizations had very well-structured recruitment system, not promoting jihad or violence, but taking a very soft approach through meetings and recitation to embed their doctrines.