GP Ansor Denny Siregar's Defense Response: Don't Be Like Gus Dur, Ferdinand's 'Your God Is Weak' Tease Can Create Hostility

Gus Dur alias Abdurrahman Wahid (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - In one of his tweets, social media activist Denny Siregar tried to reduce the heat tension after Ferdinand Hutahaean's upload about 'Your God is Weak'. Denny likened Ferdinand's tweet to one of Gus Dur's words.

On one occasion, Gus Dur did speak about divinity. And Gus Dur's statement is still relevant today, “God does not need to be defended, He is omnipotent. Defend those who are treated unfairly.”

This statement is used by Denny Siregar to defend Ferdinand. But for PP GP Chairman Ansor Luqman Hakim, there is not the slightest resemblance to Ferdinand's tweet with Gus Dur's legendary statement.

According to Luqman, Ferdinand Hutahaean's tweet about 'It's a pity that your God is weak and must be defended' is not the same as Gus Dur's sentence that once said 'God does not need to be defended'. Gus Dur, he said, did not judge at all that a God who was believed to be in a weak condition had to be defended. In fact, Gus Dur emphasized that God does not need to be defended because God is Strong and Powerful. "Meanwhile, Ferdinand's tweet, in my opinion, can be categorized as an attack of insult and blasphemy against a certain religion, has the potential to cause trouble and enmity with religious nuances and disrupt public security and order," said Luqman to reporters, Friday, January 7. "It's very much different between Ferdinand's tweet and Gus Dur's words. And because of that, don't confuse the two!" he insisted.

The Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR RI also reminded that the issue of religious belief, especially regarding the issue of divinity, is a personal matter for every Indonesian citizen that is guaranteed and protected by the constitution. It is even used as the first principle of the basis of the Indonesian state, Pancasila, namely Belief in One Supreme God. This means, said Luqman, that the Indonesian state recognizes and protects the right of every citizen to have religious and divine beliefs. So, anyone should not bring the issue of basic beliefs into the realm of public discourse, because it will definitely cause offense among citizens of different faiths. "I hope that the case of Ferdinand's tweet will serve as a valuable lesson for all of us as citizens. No one should play with religion anymore, especially regarding Allah for any interest or purpose," he said. Allah's existence has proven to have sparked many hostilities and long wars in the history of human civilization," said Luqman.