The video made the rounds in similar posts on X, YouTube, SnackVideo and Threads that suggested the ceremony was inappropriate.
“The Istiqlal Mosque imams and staff must be questioned about how they let this happen, wearing Catholic Christian costumes,” one person commented. “Do Muslims in Jakarta not want to eliminate these apostates?”
Another wrote: “I hope Allah will show you his wrath. The house of worship for Muslims is used to hold an event for other religions. Where are the brains of the clerics and religious leaders?”
Islamic event
Abu Hurairah Abdul Salam, a senior official at the Istiqlal Mosque, said the video had “nothing to do with the visit of the Holy Father Pope Francis”.
“The theme of the event was independence day, so they wore red and white clothes and included the national anthem in the ceremony,” he told AFP on September 5.
The Indonesian national flag features two stripes in red and white.
A statement from the Jagat ‘Arsy International Boarding School, which organised the gathering, said it was held on August 31 to mark Indonesia’s independence day that month and had been “planned far before there was news about the Pope’s visit” (archived link).
The ceremony included religious sermons, prayers and a rendition of the national anthem, with attendees invited to wear red and white as “a symbol of our love for the country”, read the statement dated September 3, which was provided to AFP via the mosque.
A keyword search on YouTube found the event was livestreamed on the JAGAT ‘ARSY YouTube channel on August 31 (archived link).
The video caption says the gathering was held to study Islamic religious leaders and celebrate Indonesian independence day.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video circulated in false social media posts (left) and the YouTube livestream (right), with similarities highlighted by AFP:
The mosque previously hosted an interfaith ceremony to celebrate independence day on August 17, 2022 (archived link).
Meanwhile, local media including Tempo and CNN Indonesia reported that the pope did not enter the Istiqlal Mosque (archived link) during his visit there.
Instead, he met the Grand Imam in a tent that was set up on the mosque’s grounds.
Francis also visited a “tunnel of friendship”, a symbol of interfaith harmony that links the mosque to Jakarta’s cathedral across the street.
AFP has also debunked other misinformation around the pontiff’s visit to Indonesia here.
