Civil Society Criticism and State Response: Democracy Issues in Indonesia’s Counter-Terrorism Experience

Terrorist attacks in various countries have triggered a policy of war on terrorism. The Indonesian government has also done the same thing to defeat terrorists and has succeeded in reducing acts of terror. However, this step received criticism from civil society. This study analyzes the scope of the arguments of the criticism and analyzes the state’s response to the criticism. In addition, it also analyzes the issues of democracy in Indonesia that emerged in the counterterrorism debate. This study uses qualitative methods, and data sources are collected from books, journals, documents, photos, audio and video recordings, and interview data combined with qualitative analysis methods. This study has three main findings. First, criticism of counterterrorism from Civil Society covering arguments about security issues, professionalism, violations of the law, issues of transparency, accountability and justice, as well as improvements in quality. Second, the state responds to Civil Society criticism through two expressions: (1) accepting some of the criticism from Civil Society to improve counterterrorism institutions and (2) rejecting some criticism from Civil Society because terrorism cases are complicated to resolve. Third, there are five democracy issues related to the counterterrorism debate in Indonesia, including (1) the issue of excessive restrictions on authority, (2) respect for human rights, (3) freedom, (4) equality before the law and justice, and (5) the issue of military involvement

Exploring mental health awareness project, societal well-being and stigma among Tesol students: From multicultural awareness perspective

Mental illness misconceptions, preconceptions, stigma, and discrimination are important healthcare concerns that must be addressed to improve the well-being at the societal and individual levels. The stigma prevents people with mental health disorders from obtaining competent assistance. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), this paper attempts to uncover an association of mental health awareness (MHA) and mental health stigma (MHS) with societal well-being (SWB).  For performing an empirical investigation, the present research is assuming that mental health awareness (MHA) negatively affects mental health stigma (MHS). Moreover, this study also hypothesized that mental health stigma (MHS) is adversely associated with societal well-being (SWB). In addition, this research attempts to assess the mediating role played by the mental health stigma (MHS) in the relationship between mental health awareness (MHA) and societal well-being (SWB). Finally, the primary purpose of this research is to assess the moderating effect of multicultural awareness (MA) on the relationship between mental health awareness (MHA) and mental health stigma (MHS). For empirical investigation, the present study collected the data from 345 students who are enrolled in TESOL course offered in different degree awarding institutes in China. Furthermore, data was collected by using convenient sampling techniques. PLS-SEM was used in study to assess hypothesized relationships. The present research work acknowledged that mental health awareness (MHA) negatively relates to mental health stigma (MHS). Results of this study also confirmed that mental health stigma (MHS) negatively affects societal well-being (SWB). Moreover, the results of this study revealed that mental health stigma (MHS) does not negatively mediate the link between mental health awareness (MHA) and societal well-being (SWB). Further, the results authenticate that multicultural awareness (MA) positively moderates the link between mental health awareness (MHA) and mental health stigma (MHS). Findings of this research have necessary practical implications for improving the students’ mental health literacy and awareness.  

Parental strategies in instilling Islamic values in children: A case study

This study explored the strategies employed by parents in Kedurang, Bengkulu Province, to instill Islamic values in their children. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research involved in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis with twelve informants consisting of seven parents and five children. Findings reveal that parents utilized various approaches, including ritual practices, storytelling, ethical guidance, habit formation, and role modeling to embed Islamic teachings into daily life. The research underscores the central role of parents as informal educators, highlighting their adaptive strategies in balancing traditional religious values with contemporary challenges. Children responded positively, expressing joy and engagement in religious activities, often reinforced through familial support and social interaction. This study contributes to the growing discourse on moral education by emphasizing the significance of family-based religious upbringing, especially in rural contexts with limited access to formal religious institutions.

The interactive relationship between confidence and academic achievement as indicators of the quality of the e-learning program

This study sought to study the interactive relationship between confidence and academic achievement as qualitative indicators of the quality of the electronic program. An educational program based on the Moodle platform was designed in the course "Methods of Teaching Sharia Sciences", and it was administrated to a group of students, where the variables of confidence and achievement were measured before and after the experimental intervention, and the results were compared with a control group. Adhering to the rapid technological transformations taking place in higher education, it has become necessary to reconsider the determinants of the quality of e-educational programs, not only regarding the content or the technical structure but also by focusing on the psychological and social components that contribute to the effectiveness of the digital educational process. Amongst these prominent components is confidence which represents a dynamic element that reflects the learner\u27s willingness to engage positively in the virtual learning environment. The results showed the effectiveness of the program in increasing the level of confidence in e-learning, which was manifested in several dimensions: confidence in the system, confidence in the content, confidence in the teacher, and confidence in the safety of the learning environment, and this was positively reflected in improving academic achievement in a statistically significant method. The study also proved that confidence is not an independent variable, but rather it is an interactive variable that affects and is affected by the context of learning, and constitutes a basic structure that affects motivation, engagement and academic perseverance. The study results recommend the need to include the dimension of confidence in models, in evaluating the quality of electronic programs and in designing educational strategies that focus on developing a positive and settled relationship between the student and the digital educational system, such as immediate technical support, effective human interaction, and ensuring transparency and clarity in the course requirements. It also calls for a holistic vision of quality that is not limited to final academic performance but extends to creating a learning environment that develops confidence and supports learner autonomy and self-responsibility

When a Secular Religion is sought: Finding Religion in Literature

Religions have profoundly shaped humanity by offering moral guidance, existential solace, and answers to their super sensory experiences. Nevertheless, they have fostered dogmatism, discouraged ontological enquiry and incited hostilities resulting in division, riots and wars. Despite these glitches, religions’ influence persists and will likely flourish. This raises a critical question: are conventional religions the only way to address the needs they claim to fulfil, or are there secular alternatives that can provide similar benefits without their associated negativity?   Mathew Arnold famously said poetry could offer moral and spiritual guidance in a secular age. Frederick Nietzsche proposed that humanity should turn to art and culture for meaning and value. Drawing on insights from such poets and philosophers, this paper claims that literature and art can also address the issues that religions claim to address and that too in a better way. By, applying a qualitative and interpretative methodology, this study analyses key literary and religious texts to reveal how literature and art resonate with the themes of religion without the glitches associated with them. Thus, it is argued that literature and art have the potential to serve as a viable alternative to traditional religions which are increasingly problematic in contemporary pluralistic modern society

The trauma in contemporary Arabic poetry: Muhammad al-Maghout and Mahmoud Darwish as models

This academic paper explores the concept of "Trauma" in contemporary Arabic poetry, showing a critical perspective on how literature reflecting human experience is read. Trying to decode the textual elements that reveal the impact of Trauma in the collection of the Syrian poet Muhammad al-Maghout and the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.  The research also aims the psychological effects in the discourse of these poets, by focusing on their choice of the event that consequently Empowered the reader’s awareness of trauma, particularly the one reading al-Maghout’s and Darwish’s poetry in other languages. We have decided to adopt the descriptive analytical approach to address this research, as the analytical approach is based on the theory of Trauma criticism and its literature, based on the theories of Cathy Caruth, in addition to the connection of this approach with postcolonial theory, cultural criticism, and psychoanalysis. The research achieves with various findings, determined by observing the representations of Trauma in the works of the two poets featured in this study. Where psychological disorders manifested in their works caused by the recollection of traumatic events, including torture and killing, as well as memories related to childhood

Folktales as an educational tool: Building character and enhancing communication skills in children

Children\u27s literature, particularly folktales, serves as an effective tool for fostering character development and enhancing communication skills in children. This study explored the use of folktales as a means of improving the character and communication skills of students in Kedurang. The researchers employed observation, interviews, and document analyses to gather the necessary data. The findings indicate that folktales were commonly used by the community in Kedurang to promote values such as helping others, compassion, friendship, and courage in facing challenges. Furthermore, through storytelling activities, folktales were utilized to train children in communication skills. The stories shared were diverse, including tales like "Beteri and the Deer" ("Beteri dan Rusa"), "Sinamnam," "The Buffalo and the Mousedeer" ("Si Kerbau dan Si Kancil"), and "The Tortoise and the Eagle" ("Si Kura-Kura dan Si Elang"). These stories reflect the local wisdom of the Kedurang community. The people of Kedurang also believe that folktales are an effective way to train children to be good listeners and speakers. This study has implications for the preservation of children\u27s literature, the enhancement of communication skills through storytelling, and the implementation of character education through children\u27s literature

Intersexuality and its discontents: An analysis of Vijayarajamallika’s journey as an intersex person in Mallikavasantham

In India, the intersex community, clinically known as persons with disorder of sex development (DSD), persist to be one of the marginalised and stigmatised sexual minority, despite the attempts to achieve queer liberation. Due to their non-conforming sexual and gender identity, they are usually labeled as abnormal, and this often results in them undergoing medical interventions before they reach the age of consent. Vijayarajamallika, a transgender poet from Kerala, is such an intersex person who was subjected to hormone therapy without her informed consent, at a very young age. This paper explores the socio-cultural perspectives which stigmatises intersexuality in India, through an analysis of Vijayarajamallika’s autobiography, Mallikavasantham (2019). It brings forth how the binary construction of sex and gender, and the reluctance to accept sex as a spectrum, alienates and marginalises them. The study also traces how the medical procedures Mallika underwent led to her loss of agency and bodily autonomy, and how this eventually deteriorated her mental and physical health and resulted in psychological issues. It sheds light on the importance of accepting intersex embodiment in its plurality and concludes that only the adoption of an   agency-based model of intersex could support them to achieve liberation. The significance of this paper lies in the absence of a comprehensive literary study in the mentioned area, especially in the cultural landscape of India

Unraveling sentence complexities in reading comprehension passages: A deconstructive approach for competitive exams

Competitive exams serve as reliable and standardized assessment tools for entry into universities and workplaces alike. Beyond assessing language skills, they meticulously evaluate the ability to reason logically and analyze information. Reading comprehension plays a pivotal role in these exams since it evaluates the reasoning skills and language ability. Sentences in competitive exam reading comprehension passages are intentionally intricate to puzzle the readers. This paper advocates deconstruction of passages whereby the sentences are broken into parts to analyze the twists in the sentence structure, decipher the ambiguities, and comprehend them completely. It shows the results of an experimental study that involved a heterogeneous group of about eighty tertiary learners. They were trained to break the sentences, simplify the complications, interpret the meanings accurately, and answer the questions that follow. Passages and sentences from competitive exams such as the GRE, GMAT, GATE, IELTS, TOEFL, etc., are used to create real-time problem-solving scenarios. This intervention exposed the learners to several sentence styles and refined the structural awareness of the passages. Thereby, the learner improvements in performances were evaluated. It is evident that deconstruction and syntactic analyses have influenced the interpretation of the passage and enhanced accuracy

Effectiveness of the legal framework for humanitarian assistance during armed conflicts: The aggression against Lebanon as a case study

This research seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the international legal framework in regulating and delivering humanitarian aid during armed conflicts, primarily focusing on Israel’s recent aggression against Lebanon as a case study. Although international humanitarian laws stipulate the protection of civilians and alleviating their suffering, the practical implementation of these laws faces numerous challenges. These challenges encompass political and security obstacles, the refusal of some parties to cooperate with humanitarian organizations, and the exploitation of aid as a means to achieve political or military objectives, which negatively affects the neutrality and independence of humanitarian aids. The research is limited to studying the case of the recent Israeli aggression on Lebanon, which may affect the possibility of generalizing the results to other contexts. The researchers employed a descriptive, analytical, and critical approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal framework regulating humanitarian aid during armed conflicts. The analysis manifested that obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian laws, potentially leading the parties concerned to be held accountable for international criminal responsibility. Based on these findings, the research recommends activating the role of international bodies in holding accountable those who impede the delivery of humanitarian aid and calls for the promulgation of a comprehensive international agreement to regulate this field. Additionally, the research advocates for the establishment of clear mechanisms to ensure the neutrality and independence of humanitarian aid and to facilitate its access to those in need