JK Denies His Sermon Insults Religion: I Spoke About Conflict, Not Religion
Indonesia’s 10th and 12th Vice President, Jusuf Kalla (JK), has emphasised that he never intended to insult religion regarding his statements in a lecture at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), which has recently sparked controversy. JK stated that what he conveyed was aimed at promoting peace, not division.
He made these remarks during a press conference on Jalan Brawijaya, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Saturday (18/4/2026). He explained that the lecture focused on the theme of peace and discussed various conflicts, including those that occurred in Poso and Ambon.
“I explained what peace is. Peace is the end of conflict. What is conflict? The end of peace. Then, for one or two minutes, I discussed conflicts due to religion. That includes Ambon-Poso,” said JK.
JK clarified that the part questioned by the public was only a small snippet of the overall material. He admitted to touching on religion-based conflicts for just one to two minutes in the lecture.
“I did not speak about religious dogma. I spoke about conflict events, how people use religion to wage war,” he said.
According to JK, in the Poso and Ambon conflicts, many parties felt their actions were justified by religion. He noted that such perceptions exacerbated the conflicts, leading to thousands of lives lost.
“About 7,000 people died in three years. That was due to the Ambon-Poso conflicts,” he stated.
JK emphasised that neither Islamic nor Christian teachings justify violent actions. He instead reminded that those conflicts represented deviations from religious teachings.
“There is no religious teaching that justifies killing each other. That is what I conveyed,” he asserted.
Furthermore, JK recounted his personal experiences of going directly to conflict areas to reconcile warring parties. He claimed to have even risked his life to stop the violence in Ambon-Poso.
“I entered the conflict area without security. I risked my life to reconcile,” he said.
At the same occasion, a religious figure from Maluku, John Ruhulessin, provided his perspective. He assessed that JK’s statements should be viewed in the context of the conflicts at the time, not as an act of insulting religion.
“Pak JK saw the sociological fact that there were efforts to use religion as legitimation for war,” said John in his video statement.
John also affirmed that JK did not intend to offend specific religious teachings, but rather to describe the real conditions on the ground during the conflicts.
Previously, JK was reported to the Metro Jaya Regional Police following the viral video of his lecture on ‘dying as a martyr’. JK was reported for alleged blasphemy.
The reporter in this case was the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GAMKI). They reported JK to the Integrated Police Service Centre (SPKT) of the Metro Jaya Regional Police on Sunday (12/4) night.
“We from the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement came earlier to report Mr Jusuf Kalla. Our presence also represents about 19 Christian institutions and community organisations,” said GAMKI General Chairman Sahat Martin Philip Sinurat, to reporters, quoted on Monday (13/4).
The GAMKI report was registered under number LP/B/2547/IV/2026/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA, dated 12 April 2026. In the report, Sahat as the reporter accused Jusuf Kalla of alleged blasphemy as referred to in Articles 300 and/or 301 and/or 263 and/or 264 and/or 243 of Law Number 1 of 2023.
Sahat stated that Jusuf Kalla’s lecture on ‘dying as a martyr’ that went viral on social media hurt the feelings of Christians because it did not align with Christian teachings.