This Is Gus Miftah's Apology To The Minang Community About Pork Rendang

Gus Miftah (Photo: Youtube)

JAKARTA - Gus Miftah's response to a Padang restaurant in Kelapa Gading selling pork rendang has become controversial. The leader of the Ora Aji Islamic Boarding School, Sleman, assessed that rendang was only limited to a menu for eating. Everyone is free to create it with a note of affixing information if it is not halal.

Gus Miftah also said that regarding the existence of pork rendang, we should not need to be emotional and exaggerate, it is enough not to buy the rendang.

Closing the video, Gus Miftah made a joke question. "Uh, by the way, since when did rendang have a religion?" said Gus Miftah in a video on his Instagram account, @gusmiftah, quoted Monday, June 20.

Apparently the preacher Ustaz Adi Hidayat took this statement seriously. According to him, the tradition has been carried out from generation to generation. Likewise, rendang performed by Minang people should be given space for appreciation.

Therefore, said Adi, anyone has no right to underestimate the food created by the Minang people. "Never minimize anything, especially if it has become a tradition," Adi said through a video on his Youtube channel, Adi Hidayat Official.

Adi then replied to Gus Miftah's statement in more detail. "There is a question since when does rendang have a religion, what is the answer? Since batik, calung, angklung have citizenship," he said.

Not wanting to drag on, Gus Miftah apologized in a video uploaded by the DH Entertainment News Youtube channel. Gus Miftah emphasized that he had no intention of offending the Minang community.

"It's written non-halal, so the point is not that I'm insulting Padang, no.. Padang is one of the cities I really respect, take note... but when it comes to rendang it's a type of food, jengkol can be rendang, petai can also be rendang," said Gus Miftah.

He apologized for his statement which was considered offensive to the Minang community.

"If the statement offends my friends in Minang, I as an ordinary person apologize, I have no intention of offending my friends in Minang or Padang. Including those who want to cook pork, if they want to cook rendang, it's up to them," he added.