Recent Years
Following his 1975 hajj, he took the name Rhoma Irama, which is an abbreviation of "Raden Haji Oma Irama" (Raden is an aristocracy title for Javanese and Sundanese cultures). Following this pilgrimage, he took on a more explicit Islamic moral tone, adopting Islamic dress, shorter hairstyles, and ejecting band members who consumed alcohol or had extra-marital sex. He also resolved that his music should instruct, and not merely entertain, a form of devotion waged through music. Themes in his music included extra-marital sex, government corruption, drugs, and gambling. The song haram for instance, warns against both drugs and gambling.
Rhoma Irama campaigned for Islamic party PPP from 1977 to 1982, and as a result he was banned from state television and radio by the Suharto regime, which was at that time enforcing separation of religion and state, and some of his songs were also banned from sale. The ban was lifted in 1988, and with Suharto himself moving towards Islam in the 1990s, dangdut became of the establishment.
His 1982 movie Perjuangan dan Doa (Struggle and Prayer) as described as the world's first Islamic rock musical movie.
In recent years Rhoma Irama has campaigned against Inul Daratista a dangdut star popular for her suggestive dancing, acting as head of composers' union PIMMA to ban her from singing any of their compositions.
Read more about this topic: Rhoma Irama
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