MUI: Quran Memorisation Challenge with Alcohol Prize Potentially Blasphemous

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has stated that a challenge offering alcoholic beverages as a prize for memorising Surah Ad-Dhuha is not simply a mistake in creating a game or promotion. The act is considered to have injured religious sanctity and potentially falls into the realm of alleged blasphemy. The Deputy Secretary General of the MUI Central Board, Ustadz Erick Yusuf, said the Quran is the word of Allah SWT which must be treated with full respect or ta’zhim. Therefore, making the recitation of the Quran an instrument to obtain alcoholic beverages is a highly improper act. “Making the recitation of the Quran a promotional instrument to obtain alcoholic beverages is not just a form of misguided creativity. There is a serious issue here regarding respect for religious symbols and sanctity, and it even potentially falls into the realm of alleged blasphemy,” Ustadz Erick told Republika.co.id on Wednesday (12/8/2026). According to him, the issue arises because it brings together something glorified by religion, namely the Quran, with something strictly forbidden by religion, namely khamr. Ustadz Erick quoted the decree of Allah SWT in Surah Al-Ma’idah verse 90 which commands believers to avoid khamr, gambling, idols, and divining arrows. “The Quran is the word of Allah which must be treated with respect (ta’zhim), while khamr is clearly commanded by Allah to be avoided,” he said. Furthermore, Ustadz Erick explained that in a religious perspective, blasphemy can be related to acts of al-istihza’ or mockery, al-ihanah or demeaning and insulting, as well as actions that eliminate the attitude of ta’zhim towards something that should be glorified. He said the MUI also has a formulation regarding the categories of religious defamation or blasphemy. The Ijtima Ulama of the Indonesian Fatwa Commission VII stipulated that the defamation or blasphemy of Islam includes acts of insulting, reviling, harassing, or other forms of degrading Allah SWT, Prophet Muhammad SAW, the Quran, mahdhah worship such as prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, as well as sacred religious symbols or syiar.