Jakarta. An Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) official said on Sunday that the American mixed martial arts show Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is haram and called on the government to ban it from being broadcast on local television stations.
Badriya Fayoumi, deputy secretary-general of the MUI, said UFC was deemed haram because it promoted fights that inflict physical harm on participants.
“Cockfighting is haram, let alone human fights. Why? Because cockfights injure both the participants and their opponents. This alone goes against the Shariah principle of protecting our lives,” Badriya told reporters in Jakarta.
He said such programming has a particularly harmful impact on children, who may emulate UFC heroes without understanding the consequences of violence.
“Violence and pornography are our common enemies. By blocking such content, the government is taking a concrete step to protect a civilised society, especially children,” Badriya said.
He called on parents and teachers to keep children away from the show and explain the dangers and negative effects of violence.
His comments came after a group of protesters demonstrated in front of the Mola TV building in Jakarta earlier this week, demanding that UFC be removed from broadcast.
Pay-per-view sports television networks frequently stream UFC's live US shows, which air in the morning Indonesian time.
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