Arguably, there has been only limited discussion of the issue of the involvement of
a number of Indonesian Muslim youth in radicalism and terrorism. One can refer to
a few research conducted by such institutions as the PPIM and CSRC UIN Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta, and LAKIP that showed the tendency of increased radicalism
among youth—senior high school and university students in some university campuses
and senior secondary schools in Indonesia.
There is no, however, credible data as to how many Indonesian youth were (and
still are) involved in the act of terrorism. I would suggest that their number is quite
small among the rank-and-file as well as among the operatives of the radicals on the
ground. The involvement of some Indonesia youth in terrorist acts, including suicide
bombings, is indeed a new phenomenon in the largely moderate tradition of Indonesian
Islam and, therefore, is very alarming.