the Religious Affairs Minister, Suryadharma Ali. Criticism of entertainment news on television has escalated, with more people saying that infotainment programs aired by private television stations present baseless rumors and violate the privacy of local celebrities.
The latest condemnation came Saturday from the Religious Affairs Minister, Suryadharma Ali.
"I personally agree with *Muslim organization* Nahdlatul Ulama's *NU* stance that infotainment programs that delve into people's private lives must be discontinued," Suryadharma said after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the President's Cikeas residence on Saturday.
The minister said all people, including the media, should respect individual privacy. Although he shared NU's view on the issue, Suryadharma refused to comment on what his ministry would do to act on the NU statement.
"It is not good to watch people being hounded *by reporters* and to have details of their private lives exposed on television," Suryadharma was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.
On Friday, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi demanded television stations stop broadcasting infotainment programs, saying the shows had no redeeming values and were a negative influence on the audience and society at large.
According to the NU website, Muzadi said television programs that exposed private lives to the public threatened family harmony.
"Infotainment is not an example of either democracy or freedom of expression. It is character assassination and is the cause of family breakups," he said, adding that the government, especially Information and Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring, should immediately act against these programs.
At a meeting of Muslim leaders in Surabaya, East Java, in 2006, the NU had declared infotainment programs haram (forbidden under Islamic law) because it presents ghibah (gossip), which is forbidden in Islam.
Last August, the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) also warned against the negative influence of infotainment programs. MUI chairman Amidhan said Muslims must not watch infotainment programs as they presented ghibah.
The issue peaked recently with a dispute between actress Luna Maya and infotainment journalists, who, backed by the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), filed a police report accusing the actress of making disparaging comments on their profession via a message she sent out on Twitter.
Source: The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 12/27/2009
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