The Graduate Program in Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (ALB/CRCS) at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM) held another session of the Wednesday Forum on Wednesday, 26th November 2025, in a classroom on the 3rd floor of the UGM Graduate School building. This forum explored how Indonesia’s digital ecosystem is reshaping the dynamics of intolerance, radicalism, extremism, and terrorism (IRET).
This session featured Khoirul Anam, a researcher and counter-extremism practitioner who has collaborated with the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), Densus 88, and other strategic institutions on issues related to radicalization and terrorism prevention. Anam highlighted that digital platforms in Indonesia are increasingly used to accelerate the spread of intolerance, normalize extremist narratives, and blur the boundaries between online grievances and offline violence.
According to him, classical theories of radicalization—such as Moghaddam’s Staircase Model and the Two-Pyramids Model—are no longer fully adequate in explaining the rapid shifts occurring in the algorithmic era. In his presentation titled “From Clicks to Conflict,” Anam illustrated how Indonesia’s digital ecosystem has produced new pathways of radicalization that are often overlooked by global models.
His explanation draws on findings from his latest article, co-authored with the Director of Intelligence of Densus 88 and the former Head of Terrorism Studies at the University of Indonesia, titled “Data-Driven Redefinition of Radicalism–Terrorism: Understanding the Continuum of Intolerance and Extremism through Indonesian Experience.” The discussion underscored the importance of integrating metadata patterns, case records, and emerging digital behaviors to better understand how extremism evolves in the algorithmic age.
“Understanding the shifting patterns of extremism in digital spaces is crucial for building adaptive legal frameworks, strengthening societal resilience, and formulating counter-extremism approaches that are both effective and humane,” he noted.
The event took place in an interactive setting, engaging students, lecturers, researchers, and practitioners working on issues of religion, security, and contemporary socio-political dynamics. The forum reaffirmed the commitment of the Religious and Cross-cultural Studies Program at SPs UGM to providing a critical, up-to-date, and socially relevant academic discussion platform.
Writer: Asti Rahmaningrum