MUI Issues Three Warnings Ahead of 17 August Independence Day Celebrations
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has urged members of the public taking part in carnivals to mark the Republic of Indonesia’s Independence Day not to wear clothing resembling the opposite sex, or tasyabbuh. The appeal was made as a preventive measure to thwart covert campaigning for the Lesbian, Gay, Sodomy and Paedophilia (LGSP) movement.
Deputy Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission, KH Abdul Muiz Ali, stated that August celebrations should be a momentum to strengthen unity, contribute to the nation, and increase prayer and dhikr as an expression of gratitude for the blessing of independence. However, the proliferation of deviant acts, such as male participants dressing as women during parades, is considered to have veered towards violations of sharia and social norms.
“In the current context, wearing clothing of the opposite sex tends to campaign for the practice of the LGBT (LGSP) movement, which is clearly prohibited by religion and contrary to social norms,” said Kiai Muiz Ali, quoted from MUI Digital on Sunday (16/8/2026).
He said Islam strictly forbids the exchange of clothing styles between men and women. The act of resembling the opposite sex is haram and sinful, without exception, whether in private or public spaces.
“The Prophet Muhammad SAW cursed men who resemble women and women who resemble men,” he asserted, quoting a sahih hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari.
Not only highlighting the issue of carnival dress codes, Kiai Muiz Ali also asked organisers to ensure that parade routes do not disrupt the comfort of road users.
He also issued a reminder regarding community competitions. In this regard, committees are urged not to use participant registration fees as a source of prizes because this constitutes gambling (qimar), which is also forbidden.
Furthermore, Ali explained that holding August competitions is permissible. However, committees are prohibited from using participant registration fees as a source of prize funding because it constitutes gambling (qimar).
According to him, Indonesia’s independence is truly a grace and blessing from Allah SWT that must be gratefully received. Celebrating it through community competitions is a positive activity to train agility, discipline, and foster a sense of togetherness.
“Islamic scholars have reached a consensus (ijma’) on the permissibility of competitions in general. Competitions without prizes are absolutely permissible, such as running races or other agility contests,” said Kiai Muiz Ali, quoting the view of Ibnu Qudamah in the book Al-Mughni.
Nevertheless, Ali provided a critical note regarding the mechanism of collecting registration fees for prize-giving competitions. Islamic jurisprudence strictly forbids schemes in which registration fees from participants are collected and then used as prize funds for the winners.
“One thing that must be avoided is the practice of gambling. This means the committee is not permitted to use participant registration fees as part of the prize costs. That is incorrect according to fiqh provisions and is haram,” he explained.
Quoting the book Hasyiyah al-Bajuri ’ala Fath al-Qarib, Kiai Muiz Ali added that any game that places participants in a state of uncertainty between profit and loss by staking personal funds falls into the category of gambling, which is forbidden.
Therefore, prize funds should ideally come from sponsors, committee funds, or third-party donations that do not bind competition participants. This approach can be taken by committees to provide prizes to participants.