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When chief security minister Mahfud leads prayers with politicians
Senior politicians respect Mahfud not because of his government position, but his clean and open mind.
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Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD (center, holding mic) leads salawat (recital of religious chants) hosted by columnist and scholar Fachry Ali on Feb. 13. Politicians from various parties attended the gathering, held to cool down political tensions ahead of the upcoming elections.
(Tribunnews.com/Ibriza)
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oordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD came to the rescue of former president of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Hidayat Nur Wahid, who was reluctant to sing the fifth of the 15-verse in Javanese Syiir Tanpa Waton (Not Just Any Poetry) during a gathering for salawat (citing of religious chants) hosted by columnist Fachry Ali on Feb. 13.
The lines talk spoke of the tendency of certain people to brand others as infidels at will without looking at their own behavior.
Hidayat, who is a former People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker, felt uncomfortable with the wording surrounding infidels. For many Indonesians, especially minority groups, the conservative PKS is often perceived, rightly or wrongly, as an exclusive party, although in some predominantly non-Muslim regions it recruits non-Muslims as party functionaries.
Hidayat approached Fachry to ask him to let other attendants chant the line. I was impressed by Hidayat’s refusal because as a devout Muslim, he must comprehend the spiritual values of the Islamic song, which many may fail to absorb.
The following is the line in question.
Akeh kang apal Qur’an Hadithe (Many people who memorize the Quran and its hadiths)
Seneng ngafirke marang liyane (like to derogate other people as infidels)
