Campus mosques potential to develop as pesantren

Jakarta, wapresri.go.id – With a well-structured curriculum of Islamic studies, campus mosques can grow out to be a kind of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) that supports the function of universities in developing students’ character. This is in line with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution to create a national education system that enhances faith and piety to God Almighty.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated this when receiving board members of the Association of Indonesian Campus Mosques (AMKI) led by its chairman Hermawan Kresno Dipojono.

The service by more than 300 campus mosques across Indonesia, the Vice President continued, is mainly expected to focus on the development of scientific capacity for the majority of their congregation who are students and academics.

“Not only prospering the mosque, the congregation should also be prospered by the mosque,” he said.

Not only the target fulfillment of Islamic discourse is met, the Vice President continued, studies in mosques with a curriculum will also prevent the spread of a wrong religious understanding.

In the midst of the increasingly growing religiosity of Indonesian people, the Vice President who is also the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) chairman told AMKI to play a role in revitalizing the mosques.

According to the Vice President, the revitalization could be in the form of improvement of religious facilities in the mosque and economic empowerment program for the ummah.

“The acoustic improvement of the mosque is one of the most urgent. 75 percent of our mosques have a sound system that is not quite good. In fact, 80 percent of activities in the mosque is listening to sermons and so on, while the remaining 20 percent is in the form of prayers,” he explained.

In the economic empowerment, the Vice President who at the meeting was asked to be the Chairman of the Honorary Council of AMKI, said the program should be in the form of trainings that will motivate and equip people with business skills.

“We do not want the mosques to build their own business institutions. We encourage the congregations to build their businesses. Once successful, they will be give donations to the mosque,” he affirmed.

Accompanying the Vice President at the meeting were Head of the Vice Presidential Secretariat Mohamad Oemar, the secretariat’s Deputy for Policy Support on Human Development and Equitable Development Bambang Widianto, and Special Staff to the Vice President on General Affairs Alwi Hammu. (FM, KIP Setwapres).