Religious services performed by individuals for the Indonesian diaspora in the US
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, Washington DC – The urgency is felt to send religious preachers, reciters and imams to religious services in the United States. These are the conclusions of discussions on Wednesday (15/6/2022) by the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religion with the Indonesian Embassy in the United States and the Indonesian Diaspora.
Kamaruddin explained, Indonesia has many readers and Hafiz of MTQ and STQ, as well as religious lecturers who have participated in improving religious lecturer capacity. “Indonesia is very capable of sending religious personnel whose capabilities are very substantial and whose religious understanding is Vasathiya (moderate). It is very well suited to the conditions of American multiculturalism,” he said.
Religious services have been played for the Indonesian diaspora in the United States, although still limited by some individuals. They manage through Muslim community organizations and mosques.
Meanwhile, Evan, one of the Indonesian diaspora in Maryland, conveyed the need for religious education for children from expatriate families in Uncle Sam’s country. “We also need some kind of afternoon lesson madrassa for our children’s religious education, and we really hope the ministry of religion can help,” he said.
Indonesian Embassy officials in Washington welcome and stand ready to support this religious service fulfillment initiative. For information, there are currently 6 mosques in the United States (Maryland, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC and a boarding school in Connecticut) managed by the Indonesian Muslim community. They manage it independently and independently.
Ali Sibromalisi, head of the deputy directorate of Islamic Partnerships in Islamic Community Guidance, welcomed the plan to strengthen religious services in the United States. “We welcome and stand ready to monitor this plan of cooperation in religious services,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religion recently selected mosque imams to be housed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is on President Joko Widodo’s memorandum of understanding with the Emir of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa, to send 200 imams from Indonesia to the United Arab Emirates.
