Analysis of the Meaning of Poso Terrorist Violence Codes Using a Semiotics Approach

Abstract

Terrorists often use specific codes in preparing and conducting their deadly attacks. However, limited is known the meaning of the codes and studies to understand the codes scarce. This paper, therefore, is intended to understand the communication of the linguistic codes used by a terrorist in Poso regency Indonesia. This study employed an interpretive qualitative case study of a terrorist recovery program in the regency of Poso Indonesia. The data were collected through the direct involvement of the authors in the program, which include direct observation an in-depth interview with former terrorist convicts. We used a semiotic approach to interpret the codes made by the former terrorists. The results show eleven most used violence codes used by the former terrorist in every deadly attack they did. The meaning of the terrorist violence semiotic code system can be understood through linguistic, social, and contextual structural relations. The finding contributes to understanding language codes used by terrorist and provides a strategy for government and security agency in combating terrorism in the future.