Minister Of Religion Encourages Khatib To Pray Friday Deliver Messages For Peaceful Elections

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenag)

JAKARTA - Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas invited the preachers of Friday prayers to convey a message of peaceful general elections (elections) and respect differences in political choices.

"The election implementation is getting closer. We urge the preachers (Shalat) Friday to convey a message of the importance of making peaceful elections successful, strengthening brotherhood and harmony, and encouraging people to exercise their voting rights responsibly, and respecting differences in political choices," said the Minister of Religion as reported by ANTARA, Friday, February 9.

He said the invitation and appeal had been issued in a letter from the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religion and sent to the heads of the provincial Regional Office of the Ministry of Religion who are also the heads of the provincial level Mosque Welfare Agency (BKM), to the KUA.

The circular also encourages the conducive situation and the sacredness of the mosque by preventing practical political activities in mosques.

"BKM administrators from the center to the village are also advised not to use the mosque as a place for practical political campaigns by supporting certain parties or pairs of candidates," he said.

In organizing Friday Prayer sermons, he said, administrators and administrators of mosques as well as lecturers were asked to hold guidelines and socialize the Circular Letter of the Minister of Religion Number: SE.09 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Religious Lectures.

The material for religious lectures is educational, enlightening, and constructive, increasing faith and piety, maintaining the integrity of the nation and state, not contradicting race, not insulting and harassing, not inciting, and not being charged with practical political campaigns.

"Similarly to various religious leaders, I urge them to convey the same message to their respective people at every opportunity for worship and meeting," he said.

Yaqut said the election was a democratic party held every five years.

Like a party, the Minister of Religion hopes that this process can be carried out with full joy.

"Differences in political choices are normal and everyone must appreciate them. It is too expensive if political choices destroy brotherhood," he said.

The Minister of Religion emphasized that political choices do not have to hurt brotherhood and friendship.

Therefore, houses of worship can take a role in strengthening cohesion and harmony in the midst of the diversity of the people, including the diversity of political choices.

Yaqut hopes that the bustle of the election will soon return to normal after the nation's citizens exercise their voting rights where all return to their respective lives, work according to their duties, while monitoring the calculation process carried out by the KPU.

"We are sure that the KPU will work professionally and responsibly. Bawaslu as a supervisory agency will also carry out its duties properly," he said.