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View all search resultsTV company Trans7 apologizes over ‘offensive’ content on ‘pesantren’
Following protests on social media and on the streets and threats of boycotting the private television company from pesantren students, management and alumni, Trans7 issued a public apology for content deemed disrespectful to the Islamic boarding school community.
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The logo of private television company Trans7 is shown in a smartphone in this illustration photo. (Shutterstock/farzand01)
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rivate television company Trans7 issued a public apology and dismissed its production team following protests from management and students of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and some Islamic groups over a program deemed disrespectful to the school culture.
In the past week, the television company has been in hot water for a segment in one of its programs, Xpose Uncensored, that featured amateur footage of santri (Islamic boarding school students) walking while squatting to kiss the hand of a kyai (Islamic cleric) in an Islamic boarding school. The segment was narrated rather sarcastically, mentioning how the student appeared to be humbly giving envelopes of money to the cleric, linking the act to the trope of wealthy religious leaders.
Clips of the program had been circulating online and have drawn backlash, with netizens and Islamic boarding school communities accusing the broadcaster of tarnishing the dignity of Islamic boarding schools. Using the hashtag #BoikotTrans7 (Boycott Trans7), they demanded that the station issue an apology.
On Wednesday, Trans7 production director Andi Chairil issued a public apology and announced that the company had terminated its contract with the production house responsible for the program.
On the next day, he held an online meeting with members of several provincial boards of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Islamic group, to apologize for the content of Xpose Uncensored.
“On behalf of Trans7, I would like to extend my deepest apologies to the kyai, pesantren leaders, students and alumni, particularly those from Lirboyo Islamic boarding school and all pesantren across Indonesia. We sincerely regret this has caused hurt and offense,” Andi said in a video statement on the station’s official instagram page @officialtrans7.
