PORTRAIT AND IMAGE OF RELIGIOUS GROUPS IN REGIONS THAT CLAIM THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL OF RADICALISM IN INDONESIA Alfarabi, Panji Suminar
Universitas Bengkulu
Abstract
This study explores the causes of religious groups being considered radical in Bengkulu province. The method used in this research is qualitative with a case study approach. The results of the study provide the fact that there is a one-way discourse that develops in the community that creates the image of Salafis as a radical group in North Bengkulu and Rejang Lebong districts. The label of Salafi as a group that adheres to radicalism can be explained from two perspectives. The first is from the internal side where this group lives exclusively and does not interact intensely with the surrounding community. This exclusive life makes the views, attitudes and behavior of members of the Salafi group contrast with those of the surrounding community. Second, the surrounding community labels the Salafi group as adherents of radicalism without knowing what the meaning and limits of radicalism itself are. The role of the mass media in reporting radical groups with several easily recognizable symbols such as robes, veils and beards also influences public perceptions of the Salafi groups around them. This situation is further strengthened by the labeling carried out by several religious leaders and community leaders who have a negative image of the Salafi group. The label and image of radicalism in the end makes the relationship between the Salafi group and the surrounding community socially distanced and fosters stereotypes and prejudice.
