As-Syafi’iyah Condemns Quran Reading Challenge with Alcohol Prize
The Chairman of the As-Syafi’iyah Islamic Education Foundation, Dailami Firdaus, has strongly condemned an alleged activity at The Sound Project music festival in Ancol, North Jakarta, that reportedly offered alcoholic beverages as a prize for reading the Quran. Dailami, who is also a senator for Jakarta in the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI), stated that if the facts are proven, the act constitutes an intolerable insult and desecration of religious symbols and values. “This is deeply concerning and cannot be dismissed as a joke or mere creativity at an event,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He emphasised that the Quran is a holy book that must be treated and respected accordingly. “Making alcoholic drinks a prize in a Quran reading challenge is a highly inappropriate act,” he said. He urged law enforcement officials and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to immediately investigate the facts on the ground, including identifying the organisers, the parties involved, the purpose of the activity, and how it was allowed to take place in the Ancol area. “This must be investigated thoroughly. It should not stop at an apology or clarification on social media. If the investigation finds an intentional element to insult religion, strict sanctions must be imposed in accordance with applicable legal provisions,” Dailami stated.
He stressed that the legal process must be carried out objectively by first confirming all the facts and criminal elements. He left the determination of the form and severity of the punishment to law enforcement and the courts based on statutory regulations. Dailami assessed that if the allegation is proven to be a deliberate act to insult or desecrate religion, the matter should not be viewed as less serious than previous religious blasphemy cases that caused major controversy in Indonesia, including the case involving Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok). “If it is proven intentional and meets the elements of a legal violation, there should be no differential treatment. Whoever the perpetrator is must be processed firmly and professionally,” he explained.
In addition to urging law enforcement and the MUI to investigate, Dailami also requested that the Governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung, evaluate the supervision system for activities in the Ancol area. He argued that PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, as the regionally-owned enterprise (BUMD) managing the area, has a responsibility to ensure that activities held there comply with regulations and do not cause problems, including those that could offend religious sensitivities. “The Governor must evaluate the performance of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol’s management. If the activity indeed took place in an area managed by Ancol, the simple question is: how were the licensing and supervision processes conducted? The management should not only find out about the issue after it goes viral,” he said. He added that the evaluation should not necessarily be interpreted as a punishment for all Ancol staff, but a comprehensive review of the licensing mechanisms, supervision, and the responsibility of parties who granted access or permits for the activity is necessary. “Such incidents must not happen again. The Ancol area is one of Jakarta’s main tourist destinations and is visited by people from various backgrounds. Therefore, the management must have strong supervision standards for all activities held within its area,” he explained.
Previously, a festival visitor shared their experience on social media about seeing a booth that challenged people to memorise Surah Ad-Duha in exchange for a bottle of drink. The video recording went viral and drew widespread criticism. The use of holy Quranic verses was deemed unethical for such promotional purposes. The user with the account name @jarrkojarr recounted their experience while at The Sound Project event. “While waiting for Hindia to perform, the booth next door made a challenge: ‘whoever memorises Surah Ad-Duha gets one bottle’. Are you joking? In my opinion, you have no ethics and no manners. You sell drinks but use the Quran as a challenge, and give away a bottle. It’s sickening,” they said.