Guru Gembul is an Indonesian activist, critic, teacher, and content creator, known for his scientific content and social philosophy.
Guru Gembul | ||||||||||
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| Other names | Jafar Rohadi | |||||||||
| Alma mater | Indonesia University of Education | |||||||||
| Occupations | ||||||||||
| Known for | Criticism of Bahar bin Smith | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2019 — present | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 1,29 million[1] (September 2, 2024) | |||||||||
| Total views | 236,597,382[1] (September 2, 2024) | |||||||||
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Last updated: September 2, 2024 | ||||||||||
Name
editIn Javanese, the word gembul is an adjective meaning "overeating", while guru is "teacher" or "coach". According to Suara.com, he is known to be originally named Jafar Rohadi.[4] The word gembul also represents a portmanteau of gemar ngibul, a phrase translated as "enjoying vague discussions" from Indonesian.
The expression Baraya is frequently recited by him. It is a Sundanese word meaning "sibling", but is used by Guru Gembul at a wide connotation, and so approximating "fellow" in meaning and usage.[5]
Life
editGuru Gembul's personal life is very secretive and his real identity is still a mystery, Guru Gembul is thought to be named "Johan Riyadi", "Jafar Rohadi", or "Jafar Riyadi", but this was later denied by him directly. He is known to be a graduate of Indonesia University of Education.[6] Guru Gembul stated that he is a teacher at a school in Bandung, while his monthly income from his YouTube channel is estimated to reach $1,7K to $27,2K or around IDR 26,134,100 to IDR 372,026,600. Thus, his income in a year is around $20,4K to $326,1K or around IDR to IDR 5,013,135,300.[7] Autobiographically, Guru Gembul has an experience teaching social science at a high school in Bandung.[4]
Activity
editGembul started his career on YouTube and made videos discussing science, technology, social philosophy, and conspiracy theories. His thoughts on moderate Islam and his criticism of religious communities in Indonesia made his content quite popular in Indonesia.[8] Guru Gembul emphasized that he was neither a Sunni nor a Shia, and that he did not follow any Islamic sect.[9] As a result of his criticism of the "kaum Habaib" which is translated as people who respect the habibs, Guru Gembul was accused of being an extremist.[10]
His conflict with Bahar bin Smith, one of Indonesia's habib and ulama, began when Guru Gembul noticed that Bahar could not read the kitab kuning, a set of Arabic-language educational texts in the Islamic curriculum commonly used in boarding schools in Indonesia, correctly.[11][12] Guru Gembul regretted this, and called Bahar bin Smith a "fake cleric", and doubted Bahar's lineage as a respected habib.[13] Guru Gembul then highlighted the use of false hadith in Bahar's statement which asserted that he was truly a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[14][15] Rhoma Irama and Zein Assegaf, other public figures who were also in conflict with Bahar at that time, agreed with Guru Gembul's statement, regretting that this had happened to a cleric.[16] Furthermore, Rhoma and Guru Gembul challenged Bahar to prove the authenticity of his lineage through a DNA test, this offended Bahar, stating that he could agree to it, but with a number of conditions.[17]
In a seminar in Bandung, Guru Gembul criticized the education system in Indonesia, and pushed for changes to the education system.[18] He also criticized the low salaries given to teachers in Indonesia, which he said was what triggered the decline in the quality of Indonesian education.[19]
Controversy
editIn 2023, as a result of his criticism of teachers and education in Indonesia, five education activists sent an open letter containing a summons to Guru Gembul for his statement in a national education talk show broadcast on BTV on June 1, 2023. Activists considered Guru Gembul's statement about teacher competence to be an insult to the teaching profession. In his clarification, Guru Gembul said that he only criticized the Education and Teacher Training Institution (LPTK) that prepares teachers, further stating that his statement had been misunderstood and should not have resulted in a summons.[20] The issue was later resolved amicably, with all parties agreeing that "only some teachers were incompetent".[21]
Content
editSpeeches delivered by Guru Gembul takes the summary of typically wielding concrete examples. His popularity is linked with the simplicity of expression used by him to the people. He says that his stance about religious matters and education is not the best and asks his viewers not to take his content "raw". He has featured in podcasts, including Close the Door by Deddy Corbuzier.[4]
Ba'alawi criticisms
editGuru Gembul is known to question the background authenticity of Ba'alawi members. Al-Habib Bahar bin Smith, a Ba'Alwi, was criticized in a book because he incorrectly translated a number of hadiths. Guru Gembul also describes the hadiths Bahar spread to his followers as "weak" or "faint". In addition, he doubted Bahar bin Smith's ability to perform da'wah while having a pesantren with thousands of santris and called him a "fake ulama" (ulama gadungan).[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "About guru gembul". YouTube.
- ^ "Guru Gembul Buka Peci Dan Kacamata: 100.000 Subcriber". guru gembul. YouTube. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ "Refleksi 1 Juta Pelanggan Guru Gembul Channel. Saya Dah Punya Haters". guru gembul. YouTube. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d Baktora, Muhammad Ilham (12 September 2024). "Guru Gembul Lulusan Mana?, Konten Kreator yang Ramai Kritik Nasab Ba'alawi" [Where did Guru Gembul graduate?, Content Creator who is Friendly to Criticize Ba'Alawi Bloodline] (in Indonesian). Suara.com.
- ^ Almutoif, Baehaqi (10 July 2024). "Sering Diucapkan Guru Gembul, Apa Arti Baraya?" [Frequently Pronounced by Guru Gembul, What is the Meaning of Baraya?] (in Indonesian). Suara.com.
- ^ "Pendidikan Guru Gembul, Youtuber yang Sering Komentari Dunia Pendidikan". suara.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Rusdi, Febriadi. "Mengenal YouTuber Guru Gembul dan Hasil Pendapatannya Di YouTube - Info Indonesia - Halaman 2". Info Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Ardiansyah, Muhammad (2024). "Representasi islam moderat dalam kanal youtube Guru Gembul perspektif teori fungsi interpretasi Hermeneutika Jorge J.E Gracia". UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
- ^ Sugianto, Enjang. "Di Podcast Macan Idealis, Guru Gembul: Sunni dan Syiah sama-sama bid'ah, saya tidak bermazhab! - Purwakarta Online". Purwakarta Online (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Sohib, Ben (2024-06-04). "Ekstremitas Guru Gembul, Matinya Kepakaran dan Intoleransi Komunitas Habaib". Islami[dot]co. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Tak Bisa Baca Kitab Kuning, Guru Gembul Sebut Bahar Bin Smith Habib Palsu!". Bebasbaru (in Indonesian). 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Lufaefi (June 2024). "Singgung Kemampuan Baca Kitab Kuning Habib Bahar bin Smith, Guru Gembul Tak Sepenuhnya Percaya Habib Bahar Ulama". Akurat. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Berani Blak-blakan Bilang Habib Bahar bin Smith Ulama Gadungan, Terungkap Siapa Sosok Guru Gembul Sebenarnya, Ternyata…". www.tvonenews.com (in Indonesian). 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Heboh Habib Bahar dan Hadis Palsu: Guru Gembul Ungkap Fakta Mengejutkan | 1tulah News" (in Indonesian). 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Pangul, R. J. (2024-07-02). "Parah! Demi Bela Silsilah Keturunan Nabinya, Habib Bahar Gunakan Hadis Palsu". info pertama (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Sosok Ini Ikut Tuding Habib Bahar bin Smith Sesat: Mirip Orang-orang Penyembah Pohon". suara.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Persoalan Nasab Rasulullah SAW Dibahas lagi, Rhoma Irama Setuju Habib di Tes DNA, Bahar bin Smith Tegas Ajukan Syarat ini". www.tvonenews.com (in Indonesian). 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Wijaya, Stefani (May 2023). BW (ed.). "Guru Gembul Dorong Perubahan Dunia Pendidikan". BeritaSatu. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Guru Gembul: "Saya Gaji Gede dari YouTube, Gaji Ngajar Cuma 200 Ribu per Bulan"". KOMPASIANA (in Indonesian). 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "Somasi Guru Gembul Berakhir Damai". BeritaSatu. June 2023. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ Putra, Ferdy Soegito. "Guru vs Guru Gembul Berakhir Damai, Sepakat Hanya Sebagian yang Tidak Berkompeten - Koran Gala". Koran Gala (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-08-19.