Human Rights Commission Warns of Rising Extremism in Indonesia
Jakarta. Indonesia's national human rights body, the Komnas HAM, said on Thursday (22/02) that the archipelago is facing a "serious problem" from rising extremism among many of its residents, including children.
"Extremist values are gaining traction with Indonesians, including children. Many people have reported children refusing to play with friends of other faiths," Sandrayati Moniaga from the National Commission on Human Rights said in a press conference in Jakarta.
As Indonesia faces fresh rounds of elections in 2018 and 2019, there have been rising concerns over an increase of discrimination and hate speech in the country.
The Southeast Asian country is set to hold simultaneous regional elections in June, which will be followed by next year’s legislative and presidential elections.
However, according to Sandrayati, rising extremism should be seen as a serious issue that can affect the country beyond 2019.
"In the long run, our country is facing a serious problem from systematically-manufactured extremist views that can be manipulated for various purposes, not just for elections,” Sandrayati said.
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