R

eligious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali was recently named a suspect in the haj pilgrimage graft case. In 2011, the ministry was '€œawarded'€ the designation of being the most corrupt government institution. Such a distinction seems especially contradictory given the name of the ministry.

But this is what can happen in a society where people conceal their evil deeds by using religion. However, Indonesian society perceives the protection of sacred religious values to be one of life'€™s greatest priorities, and will react angrily if sinful behaviors are revealed to have been hidden behind a religious mask.

Though the Religious Affairs Ministry should continue to uphold religious values in order to encourage people to become better humans, the alleged behavior of Suryadharma, who is suspected of having allowed 80 people to take the haj pilgrimage for free, displays non-religious behavior.

Many Indonesians spend years waiting for a chance to go to Mecca for the haj, and those passed over to make room for the aforementioned 80 individuals are still waiting for their chance to go.

Suryadharma forgot his religious ethics when he replaced the original names with new ones. Perhaps the name of the ministry should be changed to '€œNo-Religious Affairs Ministry'€.

Religion was sent down to the earth to guide people as they balance good and evil tendencies. The former tendency encourages upright and moral behavior while the latter one brings out the worst in humans.

Regardless of their position or line of work, the tendency to evil threatens all human beings. Even a high government official is vulnerable to malicious inclinations like corruption, cheating and slander.

Ihshan Gumilar
Jakarta