Gus Ulil: Quran Recitation Challenge with Alcohol Prize a Regrettable Mistake, Must Not Recur

Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board, KH Ulil Abshar Abdalla, has stated that a challenge involving the recitation of Surah Ad-Dhuha with alcohol as a prize was an inappropriate act. He assessed the incident, which occurred at the Sound Project concert, as a regrettable lapse, though he believes there was no malicious intent behind it. “This was a mistake, a regrettable mistake,” Gus Ulil said during an interview at the PBNU office in Jakarta on Wednesday. He emphasised that while the incident must be highlighted due to the improper treatment of the Quran, the public should not rush to assume the organisers had bad intentions. Gus Ulil suggested the act likely arose spontaneously from the festive atmosphere of the concert. “I believe the organisers did not have any malicious intent or bad intentions to commit a mistake like this,” he said. “Perhaps it was spontaneity due to the situation or the atmosphere at the time, but it must not happen again.”