VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council who is also concurrently serving as Deputy Chief of the Indonesian National Police-Polri, Police Commissioner General Syafruddin urged all Muslims in Indonesia to clean the heart before the coming of Ramadan. He insists, not only places of worship such as mosques that must be cleaned, but also the heart. This was disclosed after responding the possibility of mosque as a place of practical politics on the sidelines of the clean-up event of 2,000 mosques to welcome Ramadan at the Istiqlal Mosque in  Jakarta more recently.

“Yes, we are mosque administrators. We are board of Indonesian Mosque Council which only have authority, obligation, and give facility. Therefore, I urge that we are cleaning the mosque physically, as well as our heart as human beings. We are just the facilitators. We should share the same understanding, and the same thought about the mosque,”

Gen. Syafruddin added that previously, many appeals that the mosque is used as a place to convey the message of seizing political messages. Minister of Religious Affairs, Lukman Hakim Saifudin even took decisive action by banning scholars and lecturers to deliver political agenda in places of worship. According to Gen. Syafruddin, it is related to the vulnerability of places of worship to be used for political interests that have the potential to destroy religious harmony amongst the people of Indonesia. (VOI/Rezha/Ndy/RHM)