Overcoming Terrorism and Islamophobia: A Study of the Novel “Demi Allah, Aku Jadi Teroris”

Terrorism has led the countries in the West to have a negative view of Islam andMuslim. They perceived that jihad is associated with violence and Islam promotes violence.This view sparked a negative perception of Islam and Muslims. Thus, the emergence ofIslamophobia (deeply afraid of Islam) saying that Islam and Muslims are promotingterrorism. Can literary works like novels, which dealing with terrorism such as the novelDemi Allah, Aku Jadi Teroris (By God, I am a Terrorist) help to solve this problem? Themain purpose of this article is to discuss how the concept of jihad has been used to triggerterrorism as was done by Jemaah Kiai Gadil and shown in the novel Demi Allah, Aku JadiTeroris by Damien Demantra. The second objective is to discuss how to overcome terrorismas stated in the novel. The study of the novel is done by using a psychosocial approach thatexamines the personality of Kemala, the character who almost commits terrorism. Throughthis psychosocial approach, the study shows how to overcome terrorism. The findings ofthis study show that Islam denied the relationship between jihad and terrorism as done bythe Jemaah Kiai Gadil. In Islam, there is no jihad if it is associated with violence. Onlythose who are ignorant of the true teaching of Islam and those with psychological problemslike Kemala will commit terrorism. This study also shows that with a softer (non-military)approach, such as identifying the roots of terrorism in Islam, the understanding of thetrue jihad in Islam will be comprehended, and inadvertently this approach will also erodeIslamophobia.