BY NURA VALENTIANA LORNA & SHARIFAH NONG-JASIMA
KUCHING: Sarawak Islamic Council (MIS) has allocated a total of RM1,619,000 to support religious infrastructure in Sarawak for this year.
This allocation is earmarked for 1,571 mosques and suraus with each receiving a portion of RM1,571,000.
Additionally, RM48,000 has been allocated to 48 Islamic cemetery lands, each of which has an appointed committee overseeing its management.
Deputy Minister of Utility and Telecommunication, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, who also oversees Islamic affairs, commended MIS for its concern towards the Mosque, Surau, and Islamic Cemetery Management Committees (JKP).
In addition to one-off assistance through grants and the like, he said that MIS also provides annual assistance, in line with Section 46 of the Sarawak Islamic Council Ordinance, which governs the use of Baitulmal funds.
“All JKP will receive this contribution through online distribution via the Sarawak Baitulmal Fund (TBS). At the same time, I urge everyone to be more proactive and creative in seeking funds and ensuring compliance with existing ordinances and guidelines,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the launching of the Sarawak Mosque Innovative and Creative Group (KIK) initiative and the Contribution Handover to Mosques, Suraus, and Islamic cemeteries at the Sarawak Islamic Complex here today.
In addition, the president of MIS Datuk Misnu Taha explained that MIS had provided financial aid as much as RM1,000 to the mosques and suraus throughout the state in conjunction of the upcoming fasting month in March this year.
“A sum of RM1.6 million has been allocated to aid mosques, suraus as well as Muslim cemeteries throughout Sarawak this year, and it was suggested to me to revise that amount which I will bring forward to the council,” he said.
For the record, the Kuching division has recorded 365 mosques and suraus to receive financial aid followed by 209 for Samarahan and 201 mosques and suraus in Miri.
This is followed by the remaining 796 mosques and suraus in other divisions and 48 Muslim cemeteries in Sarawak.
“I hope that we get unwavering support from the managing committee of these mosques, suraus and cemeteries to ensure the financial support of these religious infrastructures,” Misnu told reporters during a press conference after the event.
In addition to that, he added that the Muslim cemeteries are moving forward towards the era of digitalisation, and MIS has been working in stages to create garden-like Muslim cemeteries throughout Sarawak.
