TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research Center (SMRC) shows that majority of Indonesians reject the existence of ISIS which is considered a threat for all religions in Indonesia.
“Around 95 percent of Indonesians who know about ISIS say the organization must not exist in Indonesia,” said SMRC executive director Djayadi Hanan on Friday, January 22, 2016.
The data also showed rejection of ISIS occurred in all regions in Indonesia. The figure also increased from the previous year.
Djayadi said even though the survey shows that almost everyone rejects ISIS, there are still some Indonesians accept the organization’s presence in Indonesia. They even agree with what ISIS is fighting for.
According to Djayadi, these findings are also in line with the survey done by US-based Pewresearch Center. SMRC conducted the survey on 1,220 respondents under aged at least 17 across Indonesia.
The research conducted on December 10 – December 20, 2015. “Even though attacks in Sarinah hadn’t occurred, these data at least represent Indonesia’s attitude towards ISIS.”
SMRC said besides causing victims and fear, terrorism essentially aims to attract public sympathy. Djayadi pointed out the terror attacks in 2001 in the US which caused the US to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. This moment is used by terror organizations as a claim to attack the West.
FAIZ NASHRILLAH
