The Jakarta Post
Muslim preacher Abdul Somad has become embroiled in religious controversy since a video of him calling the Christian cross “an element of the devil” during a sermon went viral on social media. Abdul’s scathing remarks regarding the crucifix have garnered strong responses from the public, including religious scholars who criticized the sermon for propagating anti-Christian sentiment. Indonesian Catholic Scholar Association (ISKA) chairman Hargo Mandiraharjo bemoaned Abdul’s now-viral sermon, saying that religious differences shouldn’t be an excuse for condescension and insults against people of different beliefs. “As a religious figure, [Abdul] was supposed to be a peaceful bridge between different religions,” Hargo said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co. He said Abdul’s content...