Religious Affairs Ministry Renames Preacher Certification Program
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18 September 2020 15:23 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi, asserted that the controversial name of the preacher certification program had been changed into the development of preachers’ competency program.
“We’d like to clarify that the name of this program is the development of preachers’ competency. So there will no longer be a term of certified lecturers or speakers,” said Zainut on Friday, September 18.
Zainut explained the name of the program was changed following public polemics and advice from various elements.
“We want to get rid of these polemics, so we come up with a new name. Hopefully, there will be no dichotomy between certified and uncertified preachers,” Zainut said.
Previously reported, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) was among the parties that strongly rejected the ministry’s program. MUI feared the program might cause uproar, misunderstanding, and led to governmental intervention in the country's public affairs that perturbed Muslims in its implementation.
“Thus, MUI is against the planned program,” said the MUI Deputy Chairman, Muhyiddin Junaidi, via the council’s statement number Kep-1626/DP MUI/IX/2020 on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.
Read: Religious Affairs Ministry To Launch Certification Program for Preachers
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