An official with the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) has criticized the Jakarta Police's call to curb the amount of Idul Fitri prayer convoys in the capital, alleging it as an attempt to "defy" and "belittle" Islam.
MUI deputy secretary-general Tengku Zulkarnaen on Tuesday said the prayer activities, in which participants chant the long version of the takbir (Allah is the greatest) while parading across the city, are recommended in Islam because they spread religious teachings.
He criticized the police's suggestion to limit takbir-chanting – often called takbiran in Indonesian – within the confinement of mosques.
"The excuse they use to ban these takbiran convoys is no different than defying Islamic teachings," Tengku told Indonesian news portal republika.co.id. "Their ban on this is an attempt to belittle Islam."
Many Indonesian Muslims – especially males – commonly march across cities and drive in pickup trucks while chanting takbir and beating traditional drums called beduk on the eve of Idul Fitri, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
Tengku said that it was ironic that police allowed people to gather in Jakarta during New Year's Eve but they will not permit worshippers to congregate for Idul Fitri eve.
He added that police should have been willing to coordinate with religious leaders to ensure a safe evening of takbiran. "It sounds as if the police are attempting to imprison Muslims, even though they allowed other believers to celebrate New Year's eve," he said.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto denied that police were banning takbiran convoys, and said that the police have only called on people to avoid the activities because there have been many takbiran-related accidents recorded in the past.
"Some [participants] were hit [by vehicles] and some others fell from trucks or buses," Rikwanto told the Jakarta Globe. "Not to mention takbiran participants often taunt and fight with one another."
He added police would be ready to issue speeding tickets to violators or send them back to their homes. "We call on people to not parade on the streets. [We want people to participate in] takbiran in their neighborhoods," Rikwanto said, adding this was not the first time police made this call.