Radicalism And Extremism Among University Students In Malaysia

Radicalism and extremism are tendencies and activities that may affect people from all walks of life. This includes university students who can be considered as a group of informed society due to knowledge they have and level of education, but may also be influenced by propaganda made by extremists. At the same time, Malaysia as an Islamic country has been perceived by the West as one of the countries that support radicalism and extremism. Hence, it is important for us to identify the status of radicalism and extremism among students and how classes at universities, especially Islamic universities help to reduce the influence of radicalism and extremism. This study conduct interviews with lecturers who teach Islamic courses in Malaysia to investigate how messages of de-radicalism are delivered in class at two universities namely Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) and International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). A total of six informants were interviewed to find out the status of radicalism and extremism at both universities. Secondly, this study also identifies teaching method or communication approach applied in class to examine the effectiveness to deliver anti radicalism and extremism messages. The study concludes that the status of radicalism and extremism among university students is not worrying in Malaysia, hence there is no specific teaching method applied in class to share messages related to radicalism and extremism in class. However, we have identified approaches of teaching and learning among lecturers who involve in de-radicalism and those who are not. Mainly, lecturers who involve in de-radicalism share their knowledge and experience in “mass form” in class, while lecturers who don’t, share the messages in a more individual or interpersonal approach. In conclusion, although the status of radicalism and extremism is low among students in Malaysia, hence there is no specific teaching and learning method on this matter. However, there is a specific difference in terms of approach used by lecturers involved in radicalism and those who don’t.