Bengkulu Mayor Criticized for Rewarded-Prayer Scheme
The head of the Indonesian Council of Ulema's (MUI) branch in Bengkulu has warned the city's mayor that his pray-for-rewards program is in danger of propagating discrimination and gender biases.
"The mayor has good intentions. However, religious equality should be taken into consideration — such as people who follow different religions." Rohimin, the council's branch leader in Bengkulu, said at the National Islamic Religion Institute (IAIN) on Monday, as quoted by news portal Kompas.com. "There should be a solution to avoid potential discrimination."
Bengkulu Mayor Helmi Hasan last Friday offered an array of rewards — including free hajj and umrah pilgrimages, as well as his private Toyota Innova — to local residents who avidly perform dzuhur (mid-day) congregational prayers at the At-Taqwa Grand Mosque every Wednesday.
"I am providing motivation so that the mosque will be more frequently visited," Helmi said as quoted by Indonesian news portal Tribunnews.com. "[I'm] hoping the Bengkulu residents who perform dzuhur prayers diligently will receive a cost-free umrah and hajj [trip], as well as the bonus of one Toyota Innova, my own private vehicle."
The offer is conditional on the terms that citizens must pray 42 times consecutively during the stated time at the mosque in order to qualify for the free umrah, and 52 times in a row for a free hajj journey.
One hundred people will be shortlisted to be given the prizes.
As for the Toyota Innova, it will be given to one lucky resident who performs the congregational prayers consistently.
According to Helmi, this program was implemented to achieve one of the mayor's eight ambitions for the city: "Religious Bengkulu."
The local government has allocated fund of Rp 2.3 billion ($188,600) for the program from the 2014 regional budget.
However, Rohimin asserts that these requirements could result in unfairness to women, as they will not be able to perform the prayers consistently due to menstruation.
"This is what we call equality bias or gender bias," Rohimin said. "There is no exception in Islam about it. Thus, there should be a special consideration for women, that we cannot apply the rules generally both to women and men."
The mayor's incentive program would encourage citizens' to pray with the hopes of material rewards, not to be a better Muslim, Rohimin said.
"The value of religion is a deeper sense of understanding [not] being driven by rewards," he said
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