Muslim Preacher Defies Conservatism to Preach in Indonesia Nightclubs

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13 December 2018 09:10 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club listen to a sermon by Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. Instead of a skull cap, he wears a Javanese head dress over his 1980s-style mullet. His sermons are delivered in nightclubs instead of mosques. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club listen to a sermon by Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. "I rarely talk about heaven or hell because I believe they already know about that," said the 37-year-old preacher who also goes by the name Gus Miftah. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club listen to a sermon by Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. "There are job demands and life demands that push them to do these jobs to survive," he told Reuters before delivering a sermon to a group of mostly female employees at the Boshe VVIP karaoke bar and dance club on the island of Bali. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club listen to a sermon byMifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. Gus Miftah also operates an Islamic boarding school in Yogyakarta, his hometown on the island of Java. Conservative groups there say his preaching in clubs and red light districts is an insult to the Muslim religion. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club listen to a sermon by Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. With an eye on rising intolerance of "vice" in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, Habiburrohman said he upholds the right of worship for people who feel unwelcome in their community mosque because they work in clubs and bars. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB

Staff at Boshe VVIP Club pose for pictures with Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman, or Gus Miftah, a 37-year-old Muslim preacher who aims to create a safe space to worship for those who work in the entertainment industry, at one of his sermons in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia November 27, 2018. Mifta'im An'am Maulana Habiburrohman is not your typical Muslim preacher. Hardline Islamic groups have stepped up raids on bars and clubs in recent years, and have targeted sex workers and members of the LGBT community who work in entertainment zones. REUTERS/Nyimas Laula

13 Desember 2018 00:00 WIB