VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): The Religious Affairs Ministry has appealed to all Muslims in Indonesia to hold the Salat al-Gha'ib, or absentee funeral prayer, for victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria earlier this week.

"To show condolence for the victims who passed away due to the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria, Muslims throughout Indonesia are encouraged to carry out the Salat al-Gha'ib," Director of Islamic Affairs and Sharia Guidance at the ministry Adib  said here on Wednesday.

He suggested that the absentee funeral prayer be held after the Friday prayer. In Jakarta, the Salat al-Gha'ib is scheduled to be held at Istiqlal Mosque.

The quake rattled Turkiye and Syria at 4:17 a.m. local time on Monday (February 6, 2023).

General Secretary of the central board (PP) of the Islamic organization Muhammadiyah Abdul Mu’ti also invited Muslims in Indonesia to pray that the earthquake victims would stay strong and patient.

"As a spiritual support, PP Muhammadiyah asks Muslims, especially Muhammadiyah members, to send prayers and carry out the Salat al-Gha'ib for those who have died," he said.

Earlier, the Indonesian Government said that it will send humanitarian aid to Turkiye.

"The assistance is being prepared by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Defense Ministry, and Social Affairs Ministry. It is currently being prepared and will be sent as soon as possible," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) informed on Tuesday (February 7, 2023).

As of Wednesday, the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Ankara, Turkiye, had managed to evacuate 123 people from a number of areas affected by the disaster, consisting of 120 Indonesian citizens, two Malaysian nationals, and one Myanmar national.

Indonesian Ambassador to Turkiye Lalu Muhammad Iqbal informed that an Indonesian citizen was among those who died in the quake.

The body of the victim, identified as Nia Marlinda, was found among the rubble in Kahramanmara along with her Turkish husband and one-year-old child.

The ambassador said that Marlinda will be buried in Turkey.

Currently, the embassy is working on finding 2 Indonesian workers in Diyarbakir whom it has still not been able to contact.

Iqbal said that an evacuation team led by Senior Commissioner Budi Wardiman will try to look for the workers while evacuating 20 Indonesian nationals in Diyarbakir and Malatya.  (Antaranews)