Indonesia Model Little Preachers

Millions of Indonesians are holding their breath to know who is the country's model little Muslim preacher from children aged six to nine, who team up with their parents every week in a top-rating reality TV-style show, pitting their preaching talents against one another. "Our mission is to show good examples to the Indonesian public," Heribowo Agus, producer of "Pildacil," or "Competition for Little Preachers," told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an interview on Tuesday, October 9. Pildacil debuted in 2004 with a format that saw only the preachers sparring against each other in a bid to win two tickets for a pilgrimage to Makkah. This season parents are joining in "Keluarga Dacil," or "Family Little Preacher". Auditions are held in several large cities across Indonesia to select contestants who will then spend two weeks at a camp where they learn how to preach in between ordinary sports and games sessions. "O, ye who have faith!" contester Ridha Nurul Haq, 6, urges Indonesians in the last edition to fast during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. "Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard yourselves!" intoned Ridha, dressed in traditional Muslim garb and cuddling her Winnie the Pooh doll as she takes to the stage. she cries, quoting verses from the Qur'an. Her mother, Arum, takes Ridha's lead. "As fasting is God's order, we have to perform it, so that we can get reward from God, and our sins will be removed," she tells her viewers. Ridha's innocent answer to a question about her own fasting habits wins laughter — she breaks her fast as midday, she confesses, just like many her age in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Adult Muslims should refrain from food, water and sensual pleasures from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan, with leniency granted to children before they reach puberty. A panel of judges who will select the winners at this stage questions the team next. The Council of Indonesian Ulemas named the show the best children's television program in 2005. Morals Agus says the show primarily focuses on the younger generations to instill Islam in them and shield them from moral degradation. "The show will set an example in teaching Indonesia's young generation in an Islamic way," he said. Agus said the duos present an ideal model for Indonesian families wanting to educate their children. "Children's achievements depend on how their parents teach them. We have so many examples of Indonesia's young generation going off the rails: moral degradation, illegal drugs," he added. Rizal Purnama, a nine-year-old boy, is here for his fifth bid to win — and it's his last chance as next season, aged 10, he will be too old to compete. Despite his repeated losses, Rizal's father Junaedi proudly says his son has been invited to preach at Islamic events since his oratories have been beamed round the country. "Even though he didn't succeed in previous shows, thank God many people admire him and have asked him to deliver sermons at religious ceremonies and weddings," he says. "Some pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) have become interested in him and have asked me to send Rizal there for free so that he could have a better education on Islam," he added. Unsuitable Despite its winning ratings, the show has its critics. Their point is that the contestants are so young to discuss some sensitive issues in their sermons like warning adults not to commit adultery. "The kids don't understand for sure these kinds of teachings," said Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, a psychologist at the University of Indonesia who deals with children's issues. Moeslim Abdurahman, an Islamic studies academic who works at several universities, agreed. They are "speaking things which are not suitable for their age," he said, He considers the show a reflection of the explosion of Islamic culture in Indonesia since the 1998 downfall of president Suharto. "Religion is becoming everything," he said. Back to the TV stage, the five contestants representing West Java province line up nervously on the stage to hear the names of the winners going through to the next round. Ridha is named, along with another young boy, who rushes to press his forehead to the floor, a typical way to express one's thanks to God. Ridha mimics him, as the parents comfort the three losers, who have burst into tears.
IOL & News Agencies