Vice President: Mosque Becomes A Strategic Place for Building Civilization

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin said mosque is a strategic place for the development and empowerment of Muslims.

“Theoretically, mosque is very potential to be the basis for the development of Islamic civilization,” Ma’ruf said in a national webinar themed “Building Mosque-Based Islamic Civilization Indonesia”, at the residence of the Vice President, Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

Ma’ruf said the mosque must be able to become the center of Muslim activities in various ways, besides worship.

“For example, the strengthening and empowerment of Muslims, both in education, economics, social society, and so on,” he said.

But at this time, said Ma’ruf, the potential for economic empowerment of the people in the mosque had not been optimally utilized.

“Mosque is also very potential to be the basis of the economic empowerment of the people. This potential has not been put to good use for quite a long time. Therefore, it is very important to restore one of the functions of the mosque as a medium for economic empowerment of the people, “he said.

According to Ma’ruf, this condition occurs because there is still an understanding that the mosque is not appropriate to be the center of economic activity. For this reason, a business model is needed that encourages worshipers to be directly involved in it.

“One way that can be done in encouraging economic empowerment from mosques as an integrated economic chain. Worshipers can be consumers, producers and owners in economic activities built through mosques, “said Ma’ruf.

He also reminded about the importance of developing a moderate mindset in the development of Islamic civilization. This mindset can be demonstrated by a way of thinking that is dynamic and not extreme.

“The characteristics of the wasathy wat of thinking include always maintaining and practicing the manhaj (path) which had been formulated by the previous scholars who are still relevant and accommodating the new manhaj better, and always making improvements and innovations continuously so as to create better conditions than time after time, “he said. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)