The Polemic Of Santri Closes Ears When Listening To Music: Intolerance Of The Group That Claims To Be The Most Tolerant?

Twitter screenshot

JAKARTA - The viral video of students covering their ears when listening to music at the vaccine site has become a polemic. Many doubted why this group of people's beliefs were also brought into question.

Investigate a calibaration, the students did not want to hear the music set in the vaccine place. However, it is not clear when and where the incident occurred. It is also not stated where the students came from.

"Masha Allah, our students are queuing for vaccines," said the man who recorded the video, allegedly their teacher. "Qodratullah, music is playing at the vaccine site. You can see if our students are covering their ears so they don't listen to this music."

This video was then bombarded with various comments by netizens. Some thought it was too much, some sympathized with the students, and some even used the video as a joke that the students were afraid of the devil's temptation.

For example, social media activist Denny Siregar. He uploaded the video on his Instagram account. "If I were the officer, I immediately set them on Metaliica. Exit light...enter night..." said Denny on Monday, September 13.

The video was also uploaded by the Twitter account @_ekokuntadhi. In his upload, he marked the official account belonging to musician Addie MS, with the caption "Mas @addimes must have shed tears watching this video. Poor our children..."

The video of students covering their ears also received a response from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Deputy Secretary General of the MUI, M Ziyad, said the issue of the incident needed to be clarified. Ziyad also suspects that this is not a matter of radicalism forbidding music. "In the news, it is not explained where the position of the santri is. This also needs to be clarified," said Ziyad, quoting Detik.

Ziyad also said that he was a Tahfiz Qur'an teacher or a memorizer of the Qur'an. According to him, the students are kept memorized so as not to be influenced by other things.

"This santri child is indeed properly guarded by memorizing the Koran, including not listening to things that can interfere with his memorization concentration. One of them is music. Voices, not just music," added Ziyad.

Meanwhile, not a few netizens judged the response of people who saw the actions of the students as excessive, and had the potential to become intolerance. Because, after all, it is the right of the santri to adhere to such a belief. Moreover, their actions do not interfere with other people.

Religious Harmony Center Forum (Source: kemenag.go.id)

It is still clear in the memory of cases of intolerance forcing students of other religions to wear headscarves in public schools on the grounds of 'tradition' or 'local wisdom.' Then in September 2020, there was a case of intolerance, namely a group of people disrupting the worship of the HKBP KSB congregation in Bekasi Regency.

In another area, specifically in Bogor, there was a case of a group of residents of Graha Prima Jonggol who refused to worship the Pentecostal Church congregation. Then there was a ban on worshiping the congregation of the GSJA Kanaan Church Prayer House in Nganjuk Regency, East Java, on October 2, 2020.

The case mentioned above is indeed different from the video of students covering their ears when there is music playing. But these cases have something in common: the difficulty of people accepting or respecting what other people believe or hold. We all often condemn the attitude of not respecting the beliefs of others. But why does this still often happen, not least for those who claim to be the most tolerant.

The true meaning of tolerance

Citing the journal Concepts of Tolerance and Religious Freedom written by Abu Bakar, the term tolerance comes from the Latin, "tolerare" which means to be patient with something. You could say, tolerance is an attitude or human behavior that follows the rules, where one can respect, respect the behavior of others. The term tolerance in the socio-cultural and religious context means attitudes and actions that prohibit discrimination against different groups or groups in a society.

The points of tolerance themselves are still controversial and have received criticism from various circles, both liberals and conservatives. However, tolerance between religious communities is clear, an attitude to respect and appreciate other religious groups.

This is in line with the opinion of Sociologist Gadjah Mada University, Suprapto. Suprapto explained that when individuals want to say, hear, and even write, tolerance should not only be said, heard, and written, but there should be internalization. That is, seep into us what tolerance is.

"When it is pervasive, it must be institutionalized or the behavior is institutionalized, becoming a pattern of behavior. Don't just demand other people. What we understand we do (to tolerate)," said Suprapto, when contacted by VOI.

It should be remembered again that the basis of tolerance is respecting and respecting the behavior of others. In the viral context, students cover their ears when there is music, people who see it should be able to understand that this is something they believe in and we can respect it, even what the students do does not harm the people around them.

"If we understand each other, give function, human life can be very comfortable. But not everyone is willing or able to take and give. We take something, flatten something from others, but we should also be able to "give" meaning to give meaning or understand what we do other people as long as it doesn't bother us," Suprapto added.

However, keep in mind that not everyone agrees with the opinions of those who feel "pity" or deplore what happened in the video. If we come back to find people like that, they are just selfish people who don't understand the beauty of diversity.

Therefore Suprapto reminded the public that the quality of the system should be. That is, a number of people and their activities which consist of a number of elements can complement each other and provide functions when needed.

Music and Islam

It should be underlined that the law of playing or listening to music in Islamic legal literature, there are differences of opinion. This was explained in cash by Ustaz Ibn Kharish or who is familiarly called Ustaz Ahong.

To VOI Ustaz Ahong explained, it is absolutely forbidden for scholars who forbid, listen to or play music. For scholars who allow, listening or playing new music is prohibited if this music leads to something that violates Islamic rules.

"For example, music while drinking and so on. Listening to music is prohibited if it brings you closer to things that are prohibited by religion. But if listening to music makes him close to God, (for example) Sufis who are experts in Sufism, experts in cleaning their hearts, there are also those who use music as a medium to get closer to God," explained Ustaz Ahong.

Ustaz Ahong also explained the reference to scholars who allow listening to music. One day, in Medina precisely at the house of the Prophet Muhammad, there was a music performance from an Ethiopian who visited the Prophet Muhammad.

At that time Aisyah also enjoyed the music. But Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, rebuked Aisha. But Prophet Muhammad still allowed to enjoy the music because it was a day of joy.

Meanwhile, for scholars who do not allow listening or playing, there are those who refer to the hadith which states that the flute is part of the whisperings of the devil and so on. "I personally take the middle. If it (music) is a medium to get closer to God, for introspection, calm down, it's okay," said Ustaz Ahong.

Education in Islamic boarding schools related to music is also different. There are those who actually prohibit, for example, as is often applied by traditional pesantren, there are those who allow it when they are on holiday. Again, it all depends on the legal reference that is believed.

From the viral case of a video of students covering their ears so they don't listen to music, the thing that is most highlighted is how other people think this is a radical act. Yet if we all can tolerate, things like this do not have to be "enlivened."

"Radical is the measure for actions that are against the law such as hate speech, hurting other people, damaging people's property, even killing other people's lives. That (you can say) radical is even categorized as a terrorist act. If it's limited to that (cover your ears when there is music) and not disturbing other people or not hurting others, that's fine," concluded Ustaz Ahong.

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