Indonesians, Malaysians unite in outrage over insult of tea seller by Java cleric

The saga prompted Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim to warn against high-handed attitudes from those supposedly well-versed in religion

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Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman, a cleric from Java, was criticised by Indonesians and Malaysians for scolding an iced tea seller who was selling during his lecture. Photo: PCNU Kabupaten Magelang/YouTube

Published: 1:36pm, 6 Dec 2024

Malaysians and Indonesians are sharing their teary-eyed video responses to a viral post of a Muslim cleric insulting an iced tea seller in Central Java, in an outpouring of anger at the attitudes of the powerful – especially leaders of their nations’ shared faith – towards the poor.

The video, which went viral in both countries in late November, shows a prominent Indonesian cleric in central Java, Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman, scolding iced tea seller Sunhaji for running his business during the former’s open-air lecture and calling him goblok – a harsh term meaning stupid.

The cleric, appointed President Prabowo Subianto’s special envoy for religious harmony in October, mocked the vendor, saying his slow sales that night were “God’s will”.

The clip shows him and the audience laughing while Sunhaji stands stoically, enduring the public humiliation.

Sharing a similar and overlapping culture and languages that can broadly be understood by both people, the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia is often described as akin to sibling rivalry.

While citizens of each country often banter over which nation is better, the incident saw TikTok users from both sides share videos of them crying at the insult against Sunhaji, with many saying: “One man was insulted, but millions are hurt.”