[Nulgath]

A Muslim intellectual has voiced his concern over the Serang Public Order Agency’s (Satpol PP) recent raid on an elderly woman’s food stall that had served customers at midday during Ramadhan.

Syafii Maarif urged the authorities to change a regulation restricting some people from making a living during the fasting month.

“During the fasting month people should do good […] What was done by Satpol PP was not good and could not be justified,” the former chairman of Islamic organization Muhammadiyah said as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.

Satpol PP personnel were seen confiscating food from the stall in Serang, Banten, on Friday after customers were sold food during the day, leaving the stall owner in tears. The footage from Kompas TV went viral on social media and led to an impromptu donation drive that collected more than Rp 80 million (US$6,000) in under 12 hours.

Serang Satpol PP head Maman Lutfi told Kompas TV that the food stall was a legitimate target for the raid as it had served food during the day, adding that dozens of other stalls had been also been raided and their food impounded.

_________________________

Indonesia’s social media networks have once again shown their might, as an impromptu donation campaign raised more than Rp 80 million, or around US$6,000, in less than 12 hours, in support of a mother crying on TV as Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel took away the food she was selling.

The footage shows the elderly woman crying and begging the officers not to impound the food she sells for a living. However, what she received was a bitter demonstration of power, when the Satpol PP personnel did “their duty” and confiscated her products before leaving her weeping.

Her only wrongdoing was to sell food at midday during Ramadhan, an "act of crime” as a result of egocentric rules that persistently plague the country during the Muslim fasting month.

The heartbreaking incident, recorded by Kompas TV in Serang, Banten, on Friday, went viral on social media.

During the interview, Serang Satpol PP head Maman Lutfi told the Kompas TV reporter that the food stall was a legitimate object for the raid for opening during the day and serving food.

"The restaurants and food stalls in Serang are serving food to those who are not fasting," he said while leading the operation on Friday, adding that dozens of stalls had been targeted in the raid and their food impounded.

Several food stalls owners said they did not know there was a rule prohibiting them from selling during the day. Others said they needed the money for living, especially ahead of the Idul Fitri festival.

Stand up

Responding to the incident, a twitter user named Dwika Putra Hendrawan on Saturday morning decided to launch the #StandupSerang movement. He initiated a Rp 10,000 fund-raising campaign to help the woman and other victims, providing his bank account for the donation.

“Instead of being angry, let us fight against the arrogance with real action. Let us help the mother in Serang whose food was impounded. The donation will also go to other food vendors who cannot make a living due to Ramadhan raids,” he said in his twitter account.

After just 8 hours, he reported to have raised more than Rp 20 million in donations, meaning more than 2,000 social media users took part in the impromptu charity. In an update at 12 p.m. he said he had collected more than Rp 80 million and kept going.

He planned to close the donation at 12 pm on Sunday. “I’m ready to take the responsibility of all the money I have raised in this charity. I will make sure that not a penny will be misused,” Dwika said.