Al Quran Reciting Test Deemed Unnecessary by Jokowi, Prabowo Camp

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The campaign teams of the 2019 presidential election candidates Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, refuse to be trapped in the Al Quran reciting polemic recently arose.

An alternative presidential candidacy test was first pitched by Aceh’s Da’i Association Chairman, Tgk Marsyuddin Ishak, in Banda Aceh on Saturday, December 29.

“In order to drop the polemic on how Islamic a candidate is, we offer an idea of having candidates test their Al Quran reciting abilities,” said Tgk Marsyuddin.

Answering to the challenge, the Jokowi – Ma’ruf Campaign team secretary Hasto Kristiyanto said that his team finds the challenge unnecessary and that a leader is not measured by the ability to recite Al Quran, but rather godly belief.

“Issues related to the nation should not be mixed with religious issues that should be used to build the civilization together. A person’s religious belief is not measured by their claims but actions,” said Hasto, who’s also the secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) on Sunday, December 30.

Meanwhile, the Prabowo Subianto – Sandiaga Uno camp via its debater Sodik Mudjahid said that the need to test candidate’s Al Quran reciting ability is unnecessary and considers one’s understanding of their belief much more important.

DEWI NURITA