Jakarta – Member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Maman Imanul Haq, has urged the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) to certify preachers to ensure that they have adequate capacity to convey religious values. Maman said this in response to a viral video featuring the well-known preacher, Miftah Maulana, commonly known as Gus Miftah.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs needs to certify preachers,” said Maman in his statement in Jakarta, Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
In the video that went viral on social media, there was a statement from the President’s Special Envoy for Religious Harmony and Religious Facility Development, which netizens deemed to have insulted a tea seller.
On social media platforms X and Instagram, the public even condemned Miftah’s remarks because they were deemed not reflective of a preacher or dai who should provide tranquility.
Maman stated that the case serves as a lesson for all parties to be mindful of their words in public. He said that preachers should be the ones most knowledgeable about sources of religious values, whether from the Qur’an, Hadith, or classical sources.
The politician from the National Awakening Party added that scholars are also encouraged to have fundamental religious themes in every source of sermons. He emphasized that there should be no foul language or jokes mocking others during preaching.
“The themes presented must also refer to religious sources. For example, about simplicity or others. All of that must be based on religious references as mentioned in the first point,” he said.
Maman also requested that the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the public act as supervisors if there are preachers who violate the rules. If the preacher commits a violation, according to him, there needs to be a warning letter up to sanctions.
“There needs to be good control from the community itself, including from the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the relevant regions, and reprimands for those who violate ethics, public decency, and public morality,” he said.
Gus Miftah, who mocked a tea seller named Sunhaji during a sermon at a pesantren in Magelang Regency, Central Java, has apologized through a one-minute video and has met Sunhaji in person.
“Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, I am Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman, responding to what has gone viral today.” “First of all, with all humility, I apologize for my mistake,” said Miftah on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
“I also apologize to the public for this uproar, which has disturbed them due to my joke, which the public deemed excessive. For that, I also apologize,” he said.
Miftah said he had received a reprimand from the Cabinet Secretary Major Teddy Indra Wijaya. He was asked to be more careful when speaking to the public.
Minister of Religious Affairs: Miftah’s Case as a Lesson in Self-Control
As for the Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag), Nasaruddin Umar hopes that the case involving Gus Miftah can serve as a lesson in self-control in public.
“Whatever it is, this is also a lesson for Gus Miftah that when becoming an official, a public figure like this, there must be controlling,” said Nasaruddin in Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday.
He said that when someone becomes an official or a public figure, the identity attached to them belongs to the community and the government. Therefore, there must be self-control so that actions or deeds do not lead to misunderstandings.
However, Nasaruddin explained that Gus Miftah has held many diverse professions in his life, ranging from preacher, Special Envoy of the President, comedian, to head of a pesantren. Therefore, he said, the public should also view Gus Miftah in the context of his informal activities.
“So we shouldn’t capture Gus Miftah in a formal portrait style when he is in an informal state. Artists are the hardest to measure. So, let’s not forget that Gus Miftah is an artist,” said Nasaruddin.
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