Talib or Taliban?

This paper looks at the issue of Indonesian students who study at Islamic educational institutions in Pakistan and Yemen. Its primary goal is to understand whether the presence of Indonesian students at Islamic institutions in Pakistan and Yemen poses a risk, either in terms of radicalization, or in the formation (or re-formation) of direct contacts between Indonesian extremist groups and counterparts in these countries such as al-Qaeda. In terms of radicalization, it was not possible for our research to make a conclusive assessment of the impact of study in Pakistan and Yemen on most Indonesian students. What we can point to, however, is strong anecdotal evidence that students go to institutions that are closely aligned with their existing religious or ideological outlook.