Why Closing the Mosque: Resistance of the Indonesia’s Muslim Community to the Government PPKM Policy During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The closure of mosques policy has become the most controversial issue during COVID-19 prevention in Indonesia. This government policy to prevent the massive transmission of COVID-19 has been considered ignoring some Muslim communities' religious values and religious understanding. This study explores the Indonesian Muslim community's pros and cons perceptions during PPKM (Enforcement of Community Activity Restrictions) implementation. It employs a qualitative descriptive approach to collect data, using observation and interviews to answer the research questions in this study. The literature study was conducted to seek data analysis concepts. This study finds various contradicted forms in understanding Islamic teachings among Muslim society during PPKM Implementation. The controversy occurs due to three factors: textual religious beliefs, habits, and the worship spirit of the Muslim community in the mosque. This condition reinforces the argument of the Muslim community, who often compares mosque closures with other places that have potential transmission of COVID-19. This condition inhibits government efforts in handling the spread of COVID-19 due to the dualism of public religious understanding, which tends to show sustenance and resistance to the implemented policy during the PPKM. Thus, an accommodative and persuasive approach involving the government, religious leaders, and community leaders is needed to handle the spread and transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic effectively.

De-authorization of Religion during Covid-19 Pandemic: How the Government Policies and Religious Leaders Reduced Islamic Religious in Indonesia

“…This is observed through decisions and appeals that have changed many religious habits, such as closing mosques. This condition has resulted in a split in the perspective of the Muslim community on suppressing Covid-19 (Pabbajah et al, 2022). The pandemic has proven to have resulted in changes in the lifestyle of the Indonesian people, especially the Muslim community, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and one of them can be seen in their worship practices.…”

The Responses of Turkish Islam to COVID-19 Pandemic: Health and Salvation

“…These institutions have attempted to explain and interpret the extraordinary period in the eyes of the believers and consolidate the communities. COVID-19 has caused a variety of changes in the rituals and practices of all religions around the world; Islamic communities are one of these religious groups deeply affected by this pandemic (Hasan et al, 2020a;Hasyim, 2020;Pabbajah et al, 2020). This impact is especially visible in the public prayers and it has necessitated producing new practices and strategies.…”

“…Sedd-i zerai is a concept used in Islamic law; the acts or behaviors that may harm individuals are banned in Islam and the concept is used in this frame. Closing the prayer places, preventing socialization, taking quarantine precautions, forbidding public prayers in Turkey and other countries with dense Muslim population are some of the examples that can be included in the concept of Sedd-i zerai (Abouzzohour, 2020;Ibrahim, 2020;Pabbajah et al, 2020;Rahman et al, 2020;Thurston, 2020).…”