Viral: MUI Condemns Surah Ad-Duha Memorisation Challenge with Alcohol Prize

Social media has been stirred by a controversial action from an alcoholic beverage brand that held a challenge offering alcoholic drinks as a prize, with the condition of reciting a memorised verse from the Holy Qur’an.

Citing an upload from the Instagram account @infoboga.jkt, the action was carried out by the brand @newport.tanpabatas from @anggur_ot in the event area of @thesoundsproject.

In the circulating video, the organisers challenged visitors to recite the memorised Surah Ad-Duha. Participants who successfully recited the surah were promised a reward in the form of alcoholic beverages.

The marketing strategy immediately triggered a wave of sharp criticism from netizens who viewed the action as a form of religious desecration.

“Kak, I am a Christian and even I am offended. Any religion, if its prayers are made into a game to get alcohol… that is clearly desecration,” wrote a netizen named Pablo.

As of the time this news was published, the alcohol booth activation continued to be a hot topic of discussion and garnered public condemnation across various social media platforms.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has strongly condemned the promotion of alcoholic beverages using the gimmick of memorising holy verses.

“Such an action cannot be justified, whether religiously, morally, ethically, or legally. The perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions,” said the Chairman of the MUI Fatwa Division, Prof KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh, as quoted from the official MUI website.

The Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence at UIN Jakarta stated that pairing the act of worship of reading the Qur’an as a condition for receiving an alcohol prize is an act that degrades the dignity of religion.

“Creating a gimmick of reading the Qur’an with the lure of an alcoholic beverage prize is a form of demeaning the sanctity of the Qur’an,” he continued.