Newport Apologises After Quran Recitation Swapped for Alcohol Promotion
Newport management, as the producer, has apologised for the uproar following a case involving the promotion of alcoholic beverages through a Qur’an memorisation challenge at Ancol, North Jakarta.
“In connection with the circulation of a video at the Newport booth during The Sounds Project music festival on Sunday (09/08), Newport extends its apologies to all Muslims, religious leaders, and the entire Indonesian public for the incident that caused discomfort, hurt feelings, and commotion,” said Newport Director Handoko Sasongko in a statement on Wednesday (11/8).
Handoko stated that the activity was not a programme, promotional concept, challenge, or directive created or planned by Newport.
He claimed the activity arose spontaneously from visitors at the location.
“We regret the negligence in on-site supervision, which allowed actions inconsistent with the religious values, beliefs, culture, and customs upheld by society to occur,” he said.
He also stated that Newport respects religious values and the sensitivities that exist within Indonesian society.
Handoko emphasised that respect for these values is important in every Newport activity and interaction with the public.
“This incident serves as a stern warning and a moment of deep reflection for us to immediately formulate stricter operational standards (strict guidelines), placing respect for religious values, customs, and social ethics as the foundation,” he said.
In addition, he stressed that Newport management is fully committed to ensuring that similar incidents do not recur in the future.
The act of challenging someone to recite verses of the Qur’an in exchange for alcohol by one of the tenants at The Sound Project music concert went viral on social media.
In the viral video clip, a woman can be seen taking part in the challenge at the alcohol brand’s booth. The woman recited Surah Ad-Dhuha from beginning to end without interruption.
After successfully completing her recitation, a number of sales staff at the booth immediately cheered and enlivened the atmosphere. One of the hosts at the booth then asked for the woman’s identity.
“Where is her friend, the friend who recited the surah earlier (Surah Ad-Dhuha)? What does her friend want? Order,” the woman said.
Subsequently, the act was reported to the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Indonesian National Police (Bareskrim Polri) by a number of advocates belonging to the Association of Indonesian Muslim Lawyers (ALMI). ALMI Chairman Zainul Arifin said the act cannot be considered mere entertainment. He stated that the challenge falls within the realm of religious blasphemy.
In addition to Bareskrim, Advocate Muhammad Rizki from the Muslim Legal Team officially reported the case to the Metro Jaya Regional Police.
“Today we will report approximately five parties. The first is the event organiser of the event, that rubbish event. The second is the producer of the alcoholic beverage. The third is the two MCs. And the last is the woman who recited the Qur’an in order to obtain a bottle of alcohol,” said Rizki.
Rizki explained that the report was made because, as a Muslim, he felt offended by the alcohol promotion activity.