Jabartoday.com-KUNINGAN – Nurul Islam Mosque in Karangtawang continues to strengthen its role as a center of community empowerment by organizing a communal iftar and Maghrib prayer event on Friday, March 28, 2025, coinciding with 28 Ramadan 1446 H.
The event featured a religious lecture titled “Building a Mosque-Based Community Economy” delivered by H. dr. As’ad, Sp.THT, Chairman of KAHMI West Java and ICMI Cirebon City. The inspiring talk attracted enthusiastic participation from local residents, MSME actors, university students, and invited guests.
Dr. As’ad emphasized that the mosque should not be seen merely as a place for ritual worship, but also as a hub for social and economic empowerment.
“The mosque must become a center of activity for the people—not only spiritually, but also as a driver of economic growth and community welfare,” he stated.
His presentation offered practical and easy-to-understand insights into areas such as production and marketing management, highlighting opportunities in both domestic and international markets. Most notably, he motivated the congregation to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, drawing from his own business experience.
Chairman of the Nurul Islam Mosque Council (DKM), K. Ence Burhanudin, SE, M.Pd, reiterated the mosque’s inclusive management approach involving various community elements.
“Beyond religious activities, we develop empowerment programs focused on community care. This mosque is not only a place of worship, but also a home for those who wish to grow in economic, social, and educational aspects,” he explained.
Through the Nurul Islam Mosque Cares (MNIP) program—initiated by local figure H. Tatang Suharta—the mosque now operates 24 hours, with on-duty volunteers (khidmat masjid) and an emergency vehicle available for community use.
MNIP Chairman, H. Yoyo Sutia, shared that the mosque allocates up to IDR 30 million monthly from donors to support seven social programs, reaching underprivileged families, children, youth, and travelers.
Drs. Anwar Bahrudin, M.Pd, one of the MNIP Supervisory Board Members, revealed future plans to develop a Human Development Index (HDI) model based on mosque initiatives. A key project in the pipeline is the establishment of a self-sustaining Islamic boarding school (pesantren) with an agribusiness model involving farming and livestock.
He also introduced the idea of forming Mosque-Owned Enterprises (similar to regional government-owned companies, or BUMDs).
“This approach will gradually build mosque independence. We’ve started with MSME training and are exploring the next steps,” he said.
The initiative received praise from Karangtawang Village Head, Jaja Suharja, who described it as a progressive move to unlock local community potential.
“The village government fully supports this initiative. With strong collaboration, these programs have been successfully implemented. We hope they continue to grow and bring long-term benefits,” he added.
The event was also attended by MNIP Advisory Board Member Subaryadi Yusuf (popularly known as SBY), representatives from the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) in Kuningan, and delegations from ICMI and KAHMI. [roes]
