Netray Analysis: Drowning In Negative Sentiment Flow, Gus Miftah Finally Resigns

Gus Miftah delivered a press statement at Ora Aji Islamic Boarding School, Purwomartani, Kalasan, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta, Friday (6/12/2024). (ANTARA/Andreas Fitri Atmoko/YU)

JAKARTA Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman got negative sentiment after he threw harsh words at a sweet tea ice seller in the middle of an event titled Magelang Bersholawat. Netray's analysis said Miftah's keyword was mentioned in 28.5 thousand tweets on social media X and most considered the jokes excessive.

The man who is familiarly called Gus Miftah is in the spotlight which started with the viral video clip of jokes on social media. In the video, Miftah poses the word 'goblok' to the seller who was later identified as Sonhaji.

At first he asked if the seller's merchandise had sold, but then Miftah inserted jokes that were considered rude to many people. Not only that, but the public also regretted the figures and congregants who attended for laughing at Miftah's jokes.

This video clip spread and received a high response on social media, even raising Miftah's name in a series of trending topics for three consecutive days. Since it started talking about December 2, 2024, Miftah's keyword has been mentioned in 28.5 thousand tweets on social media X and more than 60 percent of the talk about Miftah has been negative sentiment.

Although many agree that Miftah's jokes are excessive, negative sentiment on TikTok is not so significant when compared to Twitter.

Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman or commonly called Gus Miftah is a preacher known for his relaxed and mingle style. He is the founder of the Ora Aji Islamic Boarding School, which is located in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Although he often uses Javanese every day, Miftah was born in Lampung, August 5, 1981.

Gus Miftah grew up in a boarding school environment and is known to have a moderate view, making him close to the general public, including those outside the scope of conservative Islam.

Gus Miftah also started his da'wah in places that were considered unusual, such as in nightclubs. He did this so that he could touch those who were rarely touched by traditional da'wah.

This approach cannot be separated from controversy, although he certainly reaped a lot of praise. Gus Miftah emphasized his intention to invite everyone back to the right path without judging.

In his lecture, he often combines humor and slang, so that he feels more relevant and accepted by young people. But lately what he considers humor has backfired and drowned him in the negative flow of conversation.

His dialogue with a tea ice trader named Sonhaji at a panel in Magelang was deemed inappropriate because it was conveyed in harsh words and made most people consider it an insult. Moreover, recently President Prabowo Subianto has appointed him as the Presidential Special Envoy for Religious Harmony.

As many as 62 percent of conversations on social media X contain negative sentiment. Netizens highlighted what Miftah called jokes as an act of demeaning and insulting others and reminding him again about the adaptation.

Not only that, netizens also revealed old videos, when Gus Miftah had a dialogue with senior artist Yati Pesek which was discussed later because at that moment he also made inappropriate jokes.

"I'm sure this is not a matter of mistake or used to joke. This miftah has a bad habit, the brain is dirty, her mouth is dirty. Mrs. Yati Pesek is a very respected senior female student. Is this insulted?" wrote the account owner @prastow.

In addition to expressing anger, netizens are also busy urging the government to remove Miftah from her position as Special Envoy for the President for Religious Harmony.

No wonder Prabowo's name is widely mentioned in this topic discussion. Some of them even hope that Miftah will take the initiative to resign voluntarily. On the change.org page, there were 11 petitions submitted with the demand to remove Miftah from the Presidential Special Envoy. One of the petitions made on December 4 even pocketed 317,990 signatures.

Although sharp criticism was expressed for Gus Miftah on social media X, Netray noted a different response seen on TikTok.

Netray found a slightly opposing flow of conversation. Some netizens on TikTok see Gus Miftah's preaching style as part of his relaxed and mingled characteristics, although some still criticize his choice, "wrote the Netray report.

On the other hand, netizens also highlighted how this event brought blessings to the tea ice trader and Miftah as intermediaries so that people should think more positively. Because after this video went viral, not a few who visited and offered assistance, whether it was in the form of Umrah tickets, compensation funds, and house renovations.

Among them was Gus Miftah himself who finally came to apologize and offered the Umrah of the Sonhaji family.

Even though he has apologized, this step is not enough to relieve public anger, most of which urge Gus Miftah to be removed from his position. He finally announced his resignation as the Presidential Special Envoy for Religious Harmony. In the announcement, Miftah emphasized that his decision was taken not because of pressure from certain parties, but on the basis of responsibility and respect for President Prabowo and the community.

This resignation step is a reflection moment for Gus Miftah, as well as an important lesson for public figures in maintaining communication in increasingly sensitive social spaces. Monitoring social media can also help public figures avoid these sensitive things.