Editor’s Note
- Mosques should benefit the community
- The prosperity of a mosque should bring prosperity
- Example of the management of the Jogokariyan Mosque in Yogyakarta
Mosques should benefit the community
North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution presented a grant of 500 million rupiah to the BKM (Bureau of the Ministry of Management) for the Al Munawaroh Mosque in Padanglawas (Palas).
He emphasized that the mosque should not only be an impressive building but also play an active role in improving the well-being of the community and the surrounding neighborhood.
“Hopefully, our help will be enough. We hope that, in addition to the mosque’s physical appearance, the well-being of the worshippers and the surrounding community will also be safeguarded. A 60:40 ratio: 60% for the building, 40% for the well-being,” Bobby said during the Ramadan Safari at the Al Munawaroh Grand Mosque in Palas, Monday, February 2, 2026.
A mosque’s prosperity should bring prosperity
According to Bobby, mosque construction is often focused solely on the physical aspect. However, a mosque’s prosperity should also address the social problems in the surrounding area.
“So far, our mosque is physically fully occupied, but there are neighbors next door who are still struggling with online loans (pinjol), there are worshippers whose children are crying because they can’t buy milk, and there are houses in darkness because they can’t pay their electricity bills. The function of the mosque is to bring prosperity to the worshippers, or at least to the surrounding houses,” Bobby said.
He hopes the mosque will not only be architecturally beautiful but will also bring tangible benefits to the surrounding community.
“Perhaps there are still people struggling with debts due to online loans (pinjol) or drug use, even near the mosque. We want the province of North Sumatra to inform the mosque that improvements are needed not only to the building itself, but also to the interior,” he said.
Example of the management of the Jogokariyan Mosque in Yogyakarta
Bobby also asked the BKM (Citizen Coordination) to use the management of the Jogokariyan Mosque in Yogyakarta as an example, as this management has proven successful in improving the well-being of the worshippers.
“Finally, if possible, the chairman of the BKM should visit Yogyakarta to see the beautiful Jogokariyan Mosque and see how they manage it to achieve prosperity,” he said.
Also present at the Ramadan Safari were North Sumatra Vice Governor Surya, Palas Vice Regent Achmad Fauzan Nasution, Assistant to the Government and Public Welfare Basarin Yunus Tanjung, North Sumatra Communications and Information Agency Head Erwin Hotmansah Harahap, North Sumatra Education Agency Head Alexander Sinulingga, North Sumatra Youth and Sports Agency Head Mahfullah Pratama, and heads of the North Sumatra provincial departments and the Padanglawas community. ***rel
