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Unqualified preachers on TV criticized

The success of television programs depends on their viewership ratings, and in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country where 85 percent of the 257

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Sat, August 12, 2017

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Unqualified preachers on TV criticized

T

he success of television programs depends on their viewership ratings, and in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country where 85 percent of the 257.9 million population is Muslim, any show associated with the religion will undoubtedly be among the top-rated.

It is, therefore, natural to see TV stations running Islam-related programs due to their large audiences. Yet, despite the growing number of these shows, many are still considered to be low in quality, especially in how they propagate Islamic teaching through their preachers.

Dean of Islamic Propagation and Communication at the Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN Jakarta), Arief Subhan, has warned against the dangers of religious television programs that seem to commodify religious sermons.

“It’s not only about how the preachers deliver their sermons. When a dakwah [missionary endeavor] appears on TV, it becomes part of the industry. Religion then becomes a commodity,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

With this frame of reference, TV producers compete for the highest ratings by paying more attention to gimmicks and what viewers will find “attractive,” instead of focusing on the substance of the religious sermons, Arief said.

These gimmicks could be the preacher’s looks, the way he approaches the audience or even humor injected into the sermons. Accuracy, however, is not one of them.

“I often find that Muslim preachers [on TV] still misread the hadith [words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad],” Arief said.

Net TV head of public relations, Aditya Wardhani, said entertaining was only one of several traits of a TV preacher.

“There is no standardized criteria for preachers, but they cannot have a bad image and must be free from controversies and gossip; [they must] be entertaining and deliver the content well,” she said.

A survey conducted by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) in 2016 showed that religious programs scored an average of 3.70 from a rating scale of 1-5, and were among TV shows that did not fulfill the commission’s standards on quality.

The survey involved 120 expert audiences from 12 cities, accessing programs on 15 TV stations.

TV viewers were recently outraged when a young preacher on TransTV’s Islam itu Indah (Islam Is Beautiful) program told the congregation during a broadcast sermon that Muslims would be rewarded with a sex orgy in heaven.

Days later, the show once again sparked controversy when another preacher claimed that women who used sanitary napkins would have difficulty getting pregnant, as the product would allow bacteria to enter the womb.

KPI commissioner Dewi Setyarini said her team had warned the television station about the incidents, and had further discussed them with officials from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Religious Affairs Ministry.

She said the discussion resulted in the creation of guidelines for Muslim preachers, whose materials would be designed by the MUI.

“KPI does not have the capacity to deliver religious interpretations included in the guidelines [...] That’s why we coordinated with the MUI and Religious Affairs Ministry, which are better adept in the matter,” Dewi said.

In supervising religious programs on TV, the KPI has so far only used articles from the 2012 Broadcasting Code of Conduct and Program Standards (P3SPS), which only cover general guidelines, such as comparing and insulting other religions.

Dewi added that the P3SPS did not cover specific materials related to Islamic teachings.

“The guidelines will consist of limits on the themes that can be discussed in these programs, as well as recommendations on which preachers can be hired to present the sermon,” she said.

MUI’s head of propagation commission, Cholil Nafis, said the guidelines would also consist of clauses that recommend the establishment of a Propagation Ethic Council. He expects the guidelines to be completed by year-end.

Arief said the MUI must actively gather preachers to deepen their knowledge about Islam, for their roles are hard to replace given their relatively large fanbase. (yon)

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