Ministry of Religious Affairs Permits Dam Ritual in Indonesia, Respecting Diverse Fiqh Views
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenhaj) continues to permit pilgrims to perform the Dam ritual and animal sacrifice in Indonesia.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs respects the diversity of fiqh views that have developed within the community regarding the implementation of the Dam ritual,” said Kemenhaj spokesperson, Maria Assegaf, during a press conference on Friday (15/5/2026).
“Whether it is the view of some scholars that the Dam ritual can be performed in the homeland, or the government allowing the implementation of this ritual in Indonesia through a mechanism that complies with the regulations,” she explained.
“For those who wish to pay the Dam in the Holy Land, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has established official Dam payments through Adahi, which is integrated with the Nusuk Masar platform,” she said.
This scheme was chosen to ensure that the implementation of the Dam ritual is in accordance with Sharia, administratively organised, safe, and accountable.
“To date, the data we have received shows that as many as 34,308 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have made Dam payments in accordance with the applicable regulations,” she said.
Previously, Deputy Chairman of the MUI Fatwa Commission, Abdurrahman Dahlan, stated that the Hajj pilgrimage is a complete set of rules that should not be ‘fragmented’ on the grounds of moving the animal sacrifice for the Dam ritual to Indonesia to meet nutritional needs.
This statement was in response to Circular Letter (SE) No. S-50/BN/2026 from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenhaj) regarding the choice of Hajj types and the implementation of Dam payments.
“The transfer of the Dam animal sacrifice to Indonesia must have a very strong reason. If the reason is to make it easier or because Indonesians need nutritious food, that is not a valid reason,” said Abdurrahman, as quoted in a statement on Thursday (14/5/2026).
“If there is no strong basis to divert the obligatory to something other than the obligatory, then moving the place of sacrifice and distribution of the Dam animals to Indonesia is not justified,” he said.
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