JAKARTA - Today's memory, four years ago, February 24, 2022, the statement of the Minister of Religion (Menag), Yaqut Cholil Qoumas regarding the comparison of the sound of the azan and the barking of dogs became a polemic. Yaqut's statement was considered to have hurt the hearts of Indonesian Muslims.
Previously, the Ministry of Religion began regulating the use of mosque loudspeakers. The narrative is so that the interreligious tolerance is running. Yaqut also considered his move to be beneficial. However, he was actually teledor to make a comparison between the call to prayer and the barking of dogs.
The controversy over the use of mosque loudspeakers often brings problems. Not all mosque guards understand the volume settings of the loudspeaker. The result is that the sound comes out loud and disturbs the lives of those around, especially those who are non-Muslims.
The narrative was then understood by yaqut. The Ministry of Religion then issued a circular so that the mosque guards would regulate the volume of the loudspeaker. Both the use before the azan, during the azan, and after the azan. All of them so as not to disturb the surroundings.
Yaqut considers that loudspeakers are not called a symbol of religion, but a nuisance. This arrangement has received support from many parties. Yaqut also appealed to all mosques and musallas to immediately follow the government's circular.
Yaqut tried to explain his policy on February 23, 2022. He stated that the ederan was merely to make the community harmonious. Yaqut reminded that almost every 100-200 meters there is a musala and mosque.
He asked Muslims to imagine noise pollution when all mosques/musolas use loudspeakers to call to prayer simultaneously. He then seemed to equate the matter of loudspeakers with neighborly life where the right and left houses keep dogs.
When the dogs bark together, the noise pollution is also disturbing. The comparison, according to him, can be easily understood.
"Let's imagine again, we are Muslims, then live in a non-Muslim environment, then our non-Muslim brothers' houses of worship sound toah five times at once, how does it feel. The simplest thing is, our neighbors are in one complex, for example, right, left, front, back, keep dogs, all of them, for example, barking at the same time, we are disturbed, aren't we?" said Yaqut on the sidelines of his working visit to Pekanbaru as quoted by CNN Indonesia, February 23, 2022.
Instead of the comparison revealed by Yaqut, it received widespread support, the narrative was flooded with criticism the day after, February 24, 2022. Many considered Yaqut to have been tactless in choosing a comparison.
Azan is considered a symbol of religious obedience. Something that should not be equated with the barking of a dog. Moreover, the dog is a beast that is prohibited in Islam. The Nasdem Party also condemned Yaqut's view, which was considered to hurt the feelings of Muslims.
The Nasdem Party asked Yaqut to immediately apologize to Muslims. They also considered that the circular regulating the use of loudspeakers did not have urgency. Yaqut was asked to handle other problems of the community.
"As one of the partners of Commission VIII of the DPR, I suggest that he withdraw the words and apologize to Muslims. I have said, there is no urgency for the circular, it will even become propaganda among the public."
"Today there has been a lagistatementmenteri that should not be important to be conveyed, if it only hurts people's hearts. There are still many other metaphors, why must it be likened to the barking of a dog," said the Chairman of the NasDem Party Group (Kapoksi) Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Lisda Hendrajoni as quoted by lamannasdemdprri.id, February 24, 2022.
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