09/07/2009, 00.00
INDONESIA
Send to a friend

In Jakarta ulemas ban begging and giving during Ramadan

by Mathias Hariyadi
During the Muslim holy month thousands of beggars fill the streets of the capital. Islamic scholars claim they are not real poor, but individuals used by organised crime to rake up money from alms giving. The measure divides public opinion.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – No more begging in Jakarta, according to Indonesia’s ulemas. For the first time since independence, the Muslim Clerics Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia or MUI) issued an edict that declares begging in the streets of the capital unlawful.

Begging in the capital is usually a seasonal phenomenon, especially significant during Ramadan. The Muslim holy month in fact attracts an army of beggars who fill every corner in the capital.

This year thirteen days into Ramadan almost 1,500 beggars, most of them women and children from outside Jakarta, were rounded up by city authorities.

The ulemas’ edict follows a similar decision by the capital’s civil authorities to go after beggars as well as those giving alms.

The MUI’s fatwa follows a similar step taken by the Muslim Clerics of Madura Island (East Java) in mid-August.

For many Islamic religious scholars begging is caused by laziness. According to Jakarta MUI’s Chief Amidan, the edict is intended to punish those who take advantage of people’s goodness to make money.

“Some beggars earn more per week than most white collar workers,” Amidan explained.

He dismisses objections by beggars’ advocates, saying that begging is not recognised in Islam.  “Giving is more appropriate in Islam, not begging.”

MUI’s decision has divided Indonesia. Some are in favour of the measure. Others argue that “preventing people from giving during the holy month of Ramadan is not a good idea.”

Fatwa backers contend instead that beggars are used by organised gangs who enrich themselves on their backs. In Madura the authorities said that some beggars are actually in good health and have money.

The two most important Muslim organisations of Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NUI and Muhammadiyah, have welcomed the edict.

Local media have reported that most “seasonal beggars” come from northern Java and Tegal, in Central Java. Far from being poor, they are actually well off, living in good homes back in their native towns and cities.

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Catholic music to promote dialogue in Ambon, the city of sectarian violence
17/10/2018 13:29
Government plans databank to protect beggars from exploitation
15/07/2010
Neglected elderly parents turn into beggars
25/02/2006
About 100,000 Muslim clerics sign fatwa against Daesh in Bangladesh
09/06/2016 13:44
Ramadan begins for many Arab countries and Iran
22/08/2009


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”