JK Insists No Intention to Blaspheme Religion During Lecture at UGM

Former 10th and 12th Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla (JK), has asserted that he never intended to blaspheme religion regarding his statements during a lecture at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). JK stated that what he conveyed was actually aimed at promoting peace, not division.

This was expressed by JK during a press conference on Jalan Brawijaya, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Saturday (18/4/2026). JK 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, quoted from detikNews.

JK clarified that the part questioned by the public was only a small excerpt from the overall material. He admitted to only touching on religion-based conflicts for one to two minutes in the lecture.

“I did not talk about religious dogma. I talked about conflict events, how people use religion to wage war,” said JK.

According to JK, in the Poso and Ambon conflicts, many parties felt their actions were justified by religion. He stated that such perceptions exacerbated the conflicts, leading to thousands of lives lost.

“Around 7,000 people died in three years. That was due to the Ambon-Poso conflicts,” explained JK.

JK emphasised that neither Islamic nor Christian teachings justify violent actions. He instead reminded that those conflicts were deviations from religious teachings.

“There is no religious teaching that justifies killing each other. That is what I conveyed,” JK stressed.

JK also recounted his experience of directly entering conflict areas to reconcile the warring parties. He claimed to have even risked his own safety to stop the violence in Ambon-Poso.

“I entered the conflict area without escort. I risked my life to reconcile,” said JK.