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Government will not intervene in religious sermons: Lukman
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The minaret of a mosque with megaphones attached to it (Shutterstock/File)
T
he government has said it has no intention of intervening in the religious sphere with its plan to draft standards for preachers who deliver sermons during Friday prayers.
Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has tried to calm down public concerns about the plan, which have arisen alongside simmering sectarian tensions in the country. Critics of the plan say the state will police religious sermons but Lukman has been quick to say that the government will let ulema and Islamic organizations determine the standards.
"The government will not intervene, let alone regulate the content of sermons like in the past. This is a whole different era [from the New Order] and it's impossible for us to do such things because we know that it's not in our domain," Lukman said on Tuesday.
Lukman said the determination of standards for the preachers would be mulled over with ulema from numerous organizations including the Indonesian Ulema Council, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. The ministry will only facilitate the process of standardization.
"What we need is guidance that can serve as a reference point for the preachers to know what they can and cannot say during sermons and also for the management of mosques to decide who can deliver sermons on a certain date and who cannot," Lukman said.
The plan has come about amid reports that some practicing Muslims are becoming increasingly concerned about hate speech and provocative sectarian sentiments coming up during Friday sermons.
The plan, however, has received a mixed response from Islamic organizations and Muslim scholars. (evi)
