The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which has become more outspoken
compared to years past, has not commented on one currently hot issue in
Indonesia: The porn videos allegedly starring Ariel Peterpan and several
Indonesian celebrities.
One would think that the council, which is so outspoken and has banned
every little thing with such ease, would want to comment on this ongoing
porn video scandal that has entangled the lives of many famous
celebrities.
But in reality, they (the MUI) are nowhere to be found sounding off on
this whole scandal. It begs the question: What kind of issues does the
MUI consider serious enough that they should be concerned and take a
role?
In my personal view, the MUI no longer has a place in Indonesia’s modern
society because they seem to ban daily activities that most Indonesians
enjoy. Many of my Muslim friends on campus disagree with many of the
MUI rulings and it may be because they are more liberal than most
Muslims here.
Yet as I pondered more, I realized that it was not because they were
more liberal than most, but it was because many of the MUI rulings are
of minimal importance. The rulings issued by MUI, among others the
banning of the social networking site Facebook, smoking for pregnant
women and children, and yoga positions.
These rulings have no relevance in today’s society because, while many
Indonesians choose to live in a modernized world, the MUI wants us to
live in their traditional world.
It is quite odd how the MUI has a strong opinion on these matters, but
so far has none on the whole porn video scandal. It is not about
celebrities being part of the videos; it is rather that the people who
are involved in those videos are going against the teachings of Islam.
The two videos that have surfaced thus far show how one married
celebrity was involved in this whole scandal. Some may view the porn
video scandal as of no importance, but this could actually be used to
the MUI’s advantage.
Indonesians want to see the MUI forbid something that is of some
importance and yet when news like this breaks, they remain silent. This
is the time for the MUI to say something concise, but not too
exaggerated and yet, they have failed us once more. So here I am asking
again: Where are you, MUI?
Cantika Paramitha R
Bandung
