MUI Issues Statement Opposing Andrea Bocelli Concert in Indonesia

JAKARTA — The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has officially issued a statement declaring that a planned concert in Indonesia by renowned Italian singer Andrea Bocelli should be cancelled. MUI said the performance could hurt the feelings of the Palestinian people and violate the mandate of Indonesia’s Constitution.

The statement, numbered Kep-111/DP-MUI/X/2026, was signed in Jakarta on Monday (13 October 2026) by MUI Secretary-General Buya Amirsyah Tambunan and MUI Chairman for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Prof Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim. MUI said its research and examination of information had found a record of Bocelli expressing support and sympathy for Israel.

One episode it highlighted was his performance at a Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (FIDF) concert in Los Angeles in 2010, an event that raised funds for the Israeli military (IDF). “Indonesia must not become a place for anyone who sympathises with or supports Israeli Zionism, including Andrea Bocelli. Allowing them to hold activities in Indonesia would be a serious breach of the constitutional mandate, hurt the Palestinian people, and undermine the interests of the Muslim community and the nation,” MUI said in the statement on Friday (16 October 2026).

The opposition is based on the mandate in the preamble to the 1945 Constitution to abolish all forms of colonialism in the world, and is also in line with MUI Fatwa No. 83 of 2023 on the legal status of support for the Palestinian struggle. MUI set out four points in its statement. First, it firmly rejects the planned Andrea Bocelli concert in Indonesia.

Second, MUI urged the government to take decisive action promptly to withhold permission and cancel all plans for the concert. Third, it asked the government to remain steadfast and make a serious effort to foster the growth of Indonesia’s creative economy in sectors not affiliated with Israeli Zionism, as an expression of national economic and cultural sovereignty. Fourth, MUI called on Bocelli and all other parties to understand and respect its decision, and urged them not to express views that would be counterproductive to its position.