The Western media has kept on commenting on how the "Islamist" is an entity that will not change. That it must be destroyed because it breeds terrorism, etc. However, the evidence is against this theory when it come to Indonesia's political realm. Here is an editorial on how an "Islamist" party decided that it cannot win because of its exclusivity and has made the decision to change the way it tries to garner votes.
Link to the Editorial
Personally, I believe that extremist should not be silenced. Instead, they should be encouraged to speak their mind through meaningful dialogue. They should be encouraged to partake in the democratic process. Of course, the following could only happen if the country is a democratic country.