Religious Affairs Minister Clarifies Controversial Statement
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Petir Garda Bhwana
Rabu, 27 Oktober 2021 08:52 WIB
Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas delivered his presentation during a working meeting with Commission VIII of the House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, September 2, 2021. The meeting discussed the discussion of the budget work plan of Ministries or Institutions for 2022. TEMPO/M Taufan Rengganis
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas issued a written statement on Tuesday insisting that the ministry he leads represents every religion and does not exclusively serve one religious organization.
His clarification came after the public outcry against Yaqut’s statement in an internal virtual event hosted by one of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leaked to the public.
His controversial statement that leaked to the internet initially implies that the existence of the Ministry is an exclusive gift for the organization.
“The Religious Affairs Ministry belongs to every religion and is required to facilitate all religions,” Yaqut said on October 26.
However this time, the Minister said the Religious Affairs Ministry was established to facilitate the interests of religious communities. He said Indonesia is not a religious state or a secular country but based on the 5 state ideologies (Pancasila), its citizens highly uphold religious values.
He claims that proof of this can be seen in the affirmation the Ministry provides to all religions and religious mass-organizations in Indonesia.