Brief Description

SEA Junction in collaboration with the International Studies (ASEAN-China) Program, Thammasat University and Kawanfilm Club addressed the issue of preventing extremism. The event consisted of the screening the film Jihad Selfie and a follow-up discussion with activist Ruby Kholifah, of AMAN Indonesia and the director Noor Huda Ismail on skype from Melbourne where he is currently doing his PhD on gender and masculinity of Indonesian foreign fighters. 

Jihad Selfie is a film made in 2015 in English that tells the story of how Indonesian teenagers are recruited to the Islamic State. The film tries to unravel why ‘normal’ young people find attractive religious extremism and can become radicalized. Understanding how this process occurs is key to find ways to prevent extremism. The film also highlights the role of social media in spreading radical discourses and the impact of “Selfie” culture, in wanting to be someone in the midst of increasingly self-centered societies.

 

Photographers:

Dewi Ratnawulan, Rosalia (Lia) Sciortino) and Yanin Wongmai