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MUI in hot water over interfaith greetings debacle
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Muslim women greet their Christian colleagues during an interfaith event at the Grand Mosque of Central Java in Semarang, Central Java on April 10, 2024. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
T
he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has garnered widespread controversy after issuing a fatwa prohibiting Muslims from using non-Islamic religious greetings, and a human rights watchdog has warned the fatwa could be a setback for religious tolerance in the pluralistic country.
Following a gathering at Bangka Belitung Islands in late May, the country’s top Muslim clerical body issued a fatwa, or religious edict, that deemed interfaith greetings and congratulating people of other faiths on their holy days as “syncretism”, which is forbidden in Islam.
MUI fatwa head Asrorin Niam Sholeh said the Islamic greeting “assalamualaikum” was a part of prayers and should not be confused with the greetings of other religions, as it could be perceived as mocking those faiths.
“In forums attended by Muslims and followers of other religions, Muslims can combine ‘assalamualaikum’ with national greetings that do not contain other religious elements, such as ‘good morning’,” Asrorun said in a MUI statement from the MUI.
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The fatwa has caused widespread backlash, however, particularly because its issuance comes at a time when using interfaith greetings in public is becoming more common.
A speech by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in recent years, for instance, typically start with “Assalamualaikum, shalom, salam sejahtera, om swastiastu, namo buddhaya, salam kebajikan”, combining the greetings of the six recognized religions in Indonesia, respectively Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
