Study: Literature Can Be An Alternative Solution To Deradicalizing Act of Terror

Ladies and Gentlement. May God bless all of us.

In the session of this speech, I will present research results that indicate that reading books --
particularly works of literature -- is potentially a tool for deradicalization programs associated with
terrorism. Previously, there are many deradicalization programs that the government implemented
against prisoners of terrorism. So far, deradicalization programs such as inviting clergy (Ulama) to
give speeches, lectures, and discussions with prisoners have not been nearly effective. Those
prisoners still believed in their radicalism ideology. The Association of Social Psychology (ASP) has
attempted research to formulate a course that could be an alternative to a deradicalization program,
that is, the use of literature to change the mindset of the prisoners.

The findings of this study are interesting enough based on the transformation indicated by the
prisoners who read works of literature. The prisoners who read literature had shown a
transformation from being close-minded to open-minded. The transformation of mindset of the
prisoners in this study is measured using a 'need for closure' scale, that is, an individual's tendency
to quickly conclude decision making and feels difficult to accept uncertainty. When the level of 'need
for closure' of some individuals is elevated, then they will make impulsive decisions and not be able
to see other uncertainties. They tend to close options when considering and interpreting
information. Their thinking process is unable to receive ambiguity nor accept any other possibilities.

This concept of thinking makes an individual with a high 'need for closure' possess a greater chance
of being a terrorist. They often draw shallow conclusions about an understanding, or propaganda,
with their rigid thinking and reject additional information. In a scheme of 'need for closure', the
involved participants will be the prisoners of two Prisons (Lapas): The 1st Prison of Makassar in
South Sulawesi, and the 1st Prison of Surabaya, East Java. The reading was a short story that
contained elements of the story on religious themes, freedom, and uncertainty. Some are the
'Percakapan' and 'Misbahul' by Budi Darma, 'Matinya Seorang Demonstran' by Agus Noor, 'Pelajaran
Mengarang' by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, 'Lima Kisah Mimpi Kanak-Anak' by Gus tf Sakai, 'Penafsir
Kebahagian' by Eka Kurniawan, and 'Angka Kematian' by Amir Syam.

The respondents were divided into two groups by the number of short stories, the 1st group reads
four short stories, and the 2nd one reads seven short stories. The result indicates that the prisoners'
given literature shows the decline in the chart of 'need for closure'. The more they read, the more
his charts decreased. The type of literature and the frequency, and the time they read also affected
graph results. The study can be concluded that decreasing the need for closure of prisoners can be
an alternative step toward changing the mindset of former terrorists. A series of processes and
advanced research to make these findings more promising are still needed, but it is hoped that the
results will be the first step in formulating more effective programs of deradicalization. Before the
ASP conducted the study on prisoners of terrorism, they made several early studies on literature.

Literature and personalities have a strong affinity for one another. Nowadays, much research has
been tried to test how human literature and behavior can relate to one another. A psychological
study by Emanuele Castano of the University of Trento with David Comer kind of Harvard University
proved that literature is influential to improve the ability of individual empathy. Several other
psychological studies have examined how literature can transform one's psychological condition,
such as that done by Raymond A. Mar from York University in England, and Keith Oatley-Maja Djikic
from the University of Toronto, Canada. Good literature can provide a psychological conception that
focused on human character. Literature can give a space for the reader to bring psychological
awareness about the character of the story into the real world, against the complex and
incomprehensible inner life. Indirectly, this condition encourages one to understand the feeling of
another. Additionally, literature books also significantly can influence individuals based on the need
for closure. Individuals who have low levels of need for closure are more imaginative and have
flexible cognitive abilities than those who have high levels of need for closure. These conditions
potentially can liberate someone who has been radically ensnared in specific ideologies.

One challenge in Indonesia is a low interest in the reading activity. It also presents a challenge in our
efforts to fight and prevent radical ideologies from early times through literature. Our education
systems, wrapped solely in cognitive affairs, are also difficult to contribute to fighting against
violence at the earliest as possible. The affective space that helps us learn to be more imaginative,
empathetic, or concerned about our fellow humans is often easily ignored. Whereas, reading
literature will be a viable option to try to grow or open these Spaces.

I hope in the future that the Association of Social Psychology will make more interesting research on
how literature could be the answer to the problem of the existing deradicalization programs. That's
all my speech, I hope it can be useful for future programs of deradicalization. If there is any word or
my behavior which unpleasing, I beg forgiveness to all of you and God. Thank you for your kind
attention.