ACTIVITIES ON TWITTER AND THE 212 DEFEND ISLAM RALLY THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INDONESIAN ULEMA COUNCIL

This article discusses the perspective of the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia-MUI) regarding social media activities and the 212 Defend Islam Rally in Jakarta. MUI's perspective is of utmost importance as MUI played a main role in triggering the 212 Defend Islam Rally, which was carried out as a protest against religious blasphemy committed by the Jakarta Special Capital Region Governor at the time, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok). MUI's fatwa on Ahok's religious blasphemy subsequently led to a disagreement in defending religion or defending the state, and it had been openly and unrestrictedly debated among netizens on social media. Social media activities relating to this case had positioned MUI's fatwa in numerous discussions that were littered with various expressions of hatred. This article aims to contribute a novel understanding pertaining to the relations between religion, ulema, fatwa, and social media activities. Data in this study were obtained through an in-depth interview with the Chairperson of MUI, Ma'ruf Amin, who was also a key figure in the 212 Defend Islam Rally, as well as other literature and studies relevant to this research.