An expert, only if you label him so

It was reported in the local media that a security expert said that "Ideology is the new battlefield". I think it doesn't take an expert to know that. But he went on to say things like, "The biggest threat today in South-east Asia is not terrorism. It is extremism." and followed up with "All of us can be JI members in Indonesia and we cannot be prosecuted unless we conduct a terrorist attack. The first step needed to fight a terrorist organisation is to decimate and criminalise the group. Not only to go after the operational cells, but to dismantle the propaganda, the fundraising, the recruitment and procurement."

This "security expert" sounds as fearsome as the members of JI. He reminds me of, um, an extremist. He might not have taken into consideration that there are many reasons for joining groups. He obviously did not watch Syriana. Early chinese migrants of Singapore joined triads for rational reasons too. Survival being one of them. Is it really extreme to just want to survive?

I think the way to "eradicate" this security expert's view of "extremism" is not about dismantling their infrastructure. It is to actively help the people who sought these groups in the first place.