Yesterday’s Idul Adha holiday is supposed to be a celebration of sacrifices given to the poor. But the famous Luar Batang Mosque in North Jakarta set off a controversy yesterday when it rejected two sacrificial cows which were sent to the mosque by Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama on Sunday.
The mosque’s secretary Mansur Amin, said the cows were rejected after the board of the mosque, along with a number of prominent Luar Batang residents, discussed it.”During his time in office, Ahok has hurt and oppressed a lot of people [in Luar Batang] through his policies and words,” Mansur said as quoted by Tempo.
Many residents of Luar Batang have strongly opposed plans by Governor Ahok and his administration to tear down the shanty towns built along the area’s waterways and canals in order to build flood walls as well as to beautify the area in order to make it into more of a destination for religious tourism. Many Muslims from across Indonesia visit Luar Batang’s mosque as it contains the sacred tomb of Al Habib Husein Bin Abubakar Alaydrus.
The Jakarta administration had originally planned to carry out evictions in May but has postponed the action until enough low-cost apartment towers were built to accommodate those who were to be resettled.
The Chairman of the Hanura Party’s Executive Board, Miryam S Haryani, criticized those who rejected Ahok’s gift, saying it went against the spirit of Idul Adha.
“I understand the problems the people of Luar Batang have with the evictions. But the attitude shown by refusing the sacrificial animals of the Jakarta Governor is an attitude that is unethical and un-Islamic,” Miriam in a statement on Monday as quoted by Kompas.
Miriam said Muslims should not refuse the charity of others, especially on the Day of Sacrifice. She also said that she believed that the cows, which were meant for the community, were rejected based on the decision of a small group of people.
And while those who decided to reject Ahok’s cows perhaps did so to protest his eviction of the area’s residents, it’s clear that wasn’t their only reason.
“In Islam, we can not accept a governor that is non-Muslim. So the two cows that were brought here last night were not accepted,” said M Dasin, one of the members of the mosque’s board, as quoted by Kompas.
Governor Ahok, who is Christian, routinely donates sacrificial animals to mosques on Idul Adha. This year, he is said to have purchased six sacrificial cows for Rp 700 million.
