Radicalism movement in higher education in Indonesia: Students’ understanding and its prevention

Abstract

This study seeks to discover the phenomenon of the radicalism movement in higher education and the students’ understanding of this issue along with the prevention that can be undertaken by universities. This study used a mixed method design. In collecting quantitative data, an online close-ended questionnaire was distributed to 500 students from five well-known universities in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Furthermore, interviews and focus group discussions involving students and lecturers were carried out. The results of this study show that students’ understanding of radicalism is still diverse, so it makes students vulnerable to being exposed to radicalism. In an effort to slow down the radicalism movement, the activeness of the lecturers can open the students’ minds when encountering radical ideology. Then, the universities must periodically seek to spread religious teachings in an open atmosphere and emphasize moderation and decrease the radicalism movement.