Editorial: Speak Out Against Abusive Clerics
Islamic teachers (ustad) and preachers (ulema) occupy the highest position among Muslims. With their knowledge and wisdom, they are supposed to be the living example of the values and teachings of the Koran as well as the practitioners of the Prophet Muhammad's words and deeds.
However, rather than being guides that light the darkness, an increasing number of religious leaders seems to be involved in scandals. Almost every day we can read reports about clerics sexually assaulting their students. We hear complains about preachers charging their followers millions of rupiah (hundreds of dollars) to speak. There are also stories about religious leaders taking advantage of the respect that people have for them.
The case of Ustad Guntur Bumi, who has been accused of tricking people who are losing their trust in modern medicine, is one shocking example. Guntur is thought to have abused his power as a trusted figure for monetary gain by pretending to have the God-given power to cure them. Guntur is only one of many people who are giving Islam, or religion in a broader sense, a bad name.
Scandal after scandal have made people lose faith in religions and their leaders. And in Indonesia, where the majority of the people are listening to what clerics have to say, this means people may become disoriented. They no longer know which teachings should be followed and which are false.
At the same time there is a lot of news about officials — like district heads or governors — being involved in graft. Because of all these scandals, people no longer know whose example to follow. This is a situation that can be exploited by false prophets, militant groups or even terrorist organizations.
We believe the majority of religious leaders are honest people, committed to the betterment of their followers. Now is the time for them to speak out.
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