Jabartoday.com-Jakarta. The National Committee of Indonesian Youth (KNPI) has scrutinized a circulating video featuring Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), the Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), which is considered to mock the prayer rituals in Islam. In the video, Zulhas depicted a group influenced by fanaticism towards a presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair, to the extent that they hesitated to say ‘amen’ after the imam completes the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah during prayers.
Furthermore, Zulhas also portrayed a group of Muslim faithful who, due to their extreme fanaticism towards a presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair, refused to extend one finger during the tashahhud in prayer, fearing it might be misconstrued as support for another candidate. Instead, Zulhas demonstrated by extending two fingers.
The Central Executive Board of KNPI considers Zulkifli Hasan’s statement as a form of religious blasphemy. “From a legal perspective, it is suspected to fall under the category of religious blasphemy and part of an effort to mock and play with religion for political gain,” said the Chairman in a written statement on Thursday, December 2023. To address this issue, the Chairman of the Central Executive Board of KNPI has asked the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to summon Zulhas for clarification. “The MUI is requested to promptly summon him to provide clarification and retract his statement. If not, many parties will file complaints against him for committing blasphemy against a part of the Islamic teachings,” explained the President of the World Islamic Youth.
According to the Chairman of the Central Executive Board of KNPI, such an attitude is likened to a group that has lost rational thought. “Using religious teachings as a subject of jokes is permissible as long as it brings benefits and profits,” he stated.
Supporting someone is perfectly fine, but it should not lead to narratives that could be interpreted as individual cultism towards someone, where allegations of mockery and all forms of distortion are easily made for short-term gains,” added Tolub, the familiar nickname of Tantan Taufik Lubis, who is also the Chairman of NYC Indonesia. (ruz/rls)
