Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Video of the lecture during the Eid prayer went viral on social media. In the video, a preacher conveys allegations of election fraud, while many congregants leave the prayer area.
In the video uploaded by the @merapi_uncover account, it is stated that the incident occurred in Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). “Eid prayers at the Tamanan Bantul square are very busy, the congregation is leaving for political sermons,” wrote the account.
From the video uploaded, there are two short videos. Firstly, the video shows a number of congregants leaving the prayer area and secondly, it shows the figure of the preacher with a fragment of his lecture which alludes to election fraud involving state officials.
From the account that recorded the incident, @ekosupraptowibowo said that the location of the Id Prayer was Tamanan Banguntapan Square, Bantul, DIY. However, many congregations dispersed as soon as the preacher mentioned the election and mentioned President Joko Widodo's name.
“… by state officials it has become even more embarrassing and disgusting because of the fraud in the election which is considered by many to be the worst in Indonesian history. Ironically, the problem of election violations which are often said to have occurred in a structured, systematic and massive manner occurred precisely in relation to Joko's behavior “Widodo as president of the Republic of Indonesia, as widely spread on social media and newspapers,” said the preacher in the video.
There was a faint commotion from the congregation when the preacher delivered his sermon.
“Because of that, those who previously felt that they were voters should apologize because their choice has disappointed many parties. Our nation is a great nation…,” continued the preacher.
In fact, the Bantul Ministry of Religion Office a few days before Eid had created and circulated a guide for holding the Id 1445 H Prayer as a follow-up to the Minister of Religion's SE Number 1/2024.
“The Eid al-Fitr sermon material is delivered by upholding Islamic brotherhood, prioritizing the values of tolerance, unity and national integrity, and not containing practical politics in accordance with the Circular Letter of the Minister of Religion Number 09 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Religious Lectures,” wrote article 5 of the SE.
Head of the Bantul Ministry of Religion Office, Ahmad Shidqi, meanwhile admitted that he had instructed his staff at KUA Banguntapan to investigate the truth of the video. As a result, it was discovered that the Eid al-Fitr prayers at Tamanan Square were held by the local Islamic Holiday Commemoration (PHBI) committee.
Based on confirmation from KUA officials to the local PHBI chairman, the figure of the preacher is known to be an academic or lecturer at Ahmad Dahlan University (UAD). When the sermon in question touched on politics, it is estimated that as many as 25 percent of the congregation left the field.
“It is true that, in the middle of the sermon, some of the congregation left the field after listening to the contents of the sermon material which quoted one of the verses of the Koran as being linked to election fraud,” said the clarification received by Ahmad as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
Ahmad also said that when the committee asked the lecturer to become a preacher, the two parties did not discuss the sermon material.
According to Ahmad, the committee has corrected itself and has promised to be more careful in the future. In this case, the Ministry of Religion also appeals to the public to pay attention to government guidelines so that similar incidents do not happen again at other times and places.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(miq/miq)