Law on Quran study groups sparks public outcry

‘Why is the government so obsessed?’ Law on Quran study groups sparks public outcry
News Desk
The Jakarta Post

PREMIUM Jakarta   /   Fri, December 6, 2019   /  09:44 am
Practice makes perfect: Congregations take part in a 'tadarus' (Quran recital) at the Al Ikhwan Mosque in Medan, North Sumatra, on May 20.(The Jakarta Post/Apriadi Gunawan)
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Sariyadi, 62, has been the head of the At-Taqwa Mosque welfare council in Bekasi, West Java, for the past 30 years. He said the recent regulation on Quran study groups was the only law he had ever been confused about.

As with other mosques across the country, Sariyadi’s is located in a housing complex. It hosts a daily majelis taklim (Quran study group) where mosque-goers gather before the maghrib (post-sunset) prayer to recite the Quran and listen to sermons by local preachers.

He said he frowned when he first heard the new regulation issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry requiring the registration of every majelis taklim, whether it was organized by an institution or social group.

“What is it for? Why is the government so obsessed with controlling Quran study activity? The mosque is already registered with the subdistrict office. Also, there is nothing strange about our Quran study here,” he said on Wednesday.

Hasan Pamungkas, 27, a member of Goro Assalam Mosque’s Quran study group in Surakarta, Central Java, also questioned the regulation. He said he could not understand why the government required a copy of each member’s identity card as part of the registration.

“I go to the mosque every Sunday to learn more about my religion, not to be burdened by more administrative work,” said the office worker.

The regulation, signed by Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi on Nov. 13, has sparked criticism. It is considered by some an excessive government intervention into religious activity.

The regulation states that every Quran study group must submit an application to religious affairs regional offices to obtain an organization registration permit (SKT) valid for five years.

The required documents include the identity cards of the group’s members and management as well as a certificate of domicile from the village office. The group is also required to provide the names of the leader, the secretary and the treasurer of the group.

The government states that only aqidah (creed), akhlaq (morals) and sharia law can be discussed in the study groups. The sources of study, it says, should be the Quran and sunna. Other books may be consulted only as supplemental references.

The ministry will provide a book of guidelines to the groups for their studies. It will contain basic Islamic principles, Islamic history and a discussion of religious moderation.

“We will hand out a guidebook to each group so that they have guidelines on what to discuss in the group. We do this as we find that members of Quran study groups always come home without learning anything,” said the ministry’s Islamic Guidance Directorate General secretary Tarmizi Tohir, as quoted by Antara.

Jakarta-based human rights group Setara Institute decried the arduous requirements to carry out a civil activity. Setara executive director Ismail Hasani said religious activity had always been a basic human right and should, therefore, not be excessively regulated.

“The government intrusion into religious affairs has distanced the administration from human rights principles. It has kept citizens from enjoying the practice of religion,” Ismail told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said the regulation added to the list of abstruse requirements promulgated by the ministry since Fachrul took office in October.

Earlier this year, the ministry demanded civil servants refrain from wearing long veils and ankle pants as they were associated with Islamic radical groups. Fachrul, along with other ministers, also signed a joint a decree prohibiting civil servants from expressing opinions that “contain hate speech against Pancasila, the 1945 constitution, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity) and the government” on social media.

He also requested religious preachers be certified before giving khutbah (sermons) in mosques.

Two of Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, expressed dismay about the new decree. They stressed that the ministry should reduce its interference into religious affairs and asked it to stop creating controversy.

NU general secretary Helmy Faishal Zaini questioned the purpose of the regulation. He said Quran study groups had never caused any major problems in the country.

Helmy said study groups had always been an important part of Islamic history in Indonesia and that they developed organically from the initiative of the Muslim community. The groups, he added, were not only about reciting the Quran; they also served as a gathering place to strengthen kinship within the Muslim community.

He urged the ministry to reconsider its policy and conduct a more thorough study as he worried that the regulation would prevent Muslims from creating study groups.

“The government should not complicate things and cause more problems for society,” Helmy said.

Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir said the new decree was a setback for democracy, adding that it reminded him of the New Order regime, when the government tended to over-regulate everything. He raised concerns that the government would go on to control other civil activities.

He agreed that the government should fight radicalism, but he thought the issue should be tackled by enforcing existing laws.

“We condemn any form of radicalism, but the regulation to overcome it should be objective, comprehensive and not discriminating towards Islam,” he said.

Despite the criticism, the ministry has insisted that the regulation is not a form of religious intervention.

Vice Religious Affairs Minister Zainut Tauhid said the ministry was looking out for Quran study groups. He said the regulation would allow the government to assist with the groups’ activities.

“The regulation will only strengthen the role and function of majelis taklim in society, and it will tighten the coordination between the government and the groups,” he said in an official statement. (glh)