{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1822613,
        "msgid": "mosques-that-serve-surau-that-educate-1782355994",
        "date": "2026-06-25 09:09:38",
        "title": "Mosques That Serve, Surau That Educate",
        "author": "Retizen",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Amid rising concerns over youth delinquency, two Indonesian initiatives offer a complementary approach to character building by transforming places of worship into inclusive community hubs. The 'Gerakan Masjid Sejuta Pemuda' in Sukabumi focuses on welcoming young people through service and 24-hour accessibility, while the 'Smart Surau' programme in Padang revives the traditional role of the surau as a centre for continuous education and habit formation. The article argues that combining acceptance with sustained guidance is essential for nurturing the next generation.",
        "content": "<p>In recent times, various regions have again been confronted with\nyouth brawls, illegal street racing, and other forms of delinquency\ninvolving young people. Some incidents end in injury, others even claim\nlives. We are busy looking for the cause. Some blame the family, others\nthe school, or even social media. Yet this phenomenon points to a deeper\nissue: a crisis of spaces for generational development. When the immense\nenergy of young people finds no proper outlet, it easily turns into\nbehaviour that harms themselves and others. Amidst all these\nexplanations, one question is rarely asked: where do young people spend\ntheir nights? This question is crucial because character is not formed\nby occasional advice. Character is shaped by an environment that\nconsistently accompanies a person through life. The Qur\u2019an reminds us,\n\u2018O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a\nFire\u2019 (QS. At-Tahrim: 6). This verse teaches that safeguarding the\ngeneration is not enough with mere counsel; it also requires providing\nan environment that accustoms them to goodness and protects them from\nevil. It is in this context that two interesting initiatives deserve\nattention. In Sukabumi, West Java, the Gerakan Masjid Sejuta Pemuda (One\nMillion Youth Mosque Movement) is growing. In Padang, West Sumatra, the\nSmart Surau programme is present. Both were born in different regions\nbut offer complementary answers to the problems of the younger\ngeneration. Gerakan Masjid Sejuta Pemuda departs from the awareness that\nthe mosque must be a friendly space for young people. It is not enough\nfor a mosque to merely wait for worshippers to arrive; it must also\ncreate an atmosphere that makes them want to return. This awareness is\nvisible in how the mosque is managed. Young people are not just\ncongregants; they also become administrators and drivers of the various\nprogrammes run. There are comfortable gathering spaces, a caf\u00e9 area, and\nvarious community activities close to their world. The mosque is even\nopen 24 hours a day and provides resting places for travellers or\nworshippers in need. Instead of merely being a transit point when prayer\ntime arrives, this mosque strives to present itself as a home that is\nopen and alive throughout the day. This approach reminds us of the\nmosque during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The\nmosque was not only a place for prayer, but also a space for learning,\ndeliberation, and growing together. When a Bedouin Arab urinated in the\nmosque, the Prophet did not choose anger, but education. When his\ngrandchildren played in the mosque, he did not shoo them away, but gave\nthem space to feel close to the house of worship. Herein lies the\nmeaning of service. A serving mosque is one that welcomes before\ndemanding, embraces before judging, and opens space for involvement\nbefore asking for compliance. However, getting young people to come to\nthe mosque is only the first step. The next challenge is how to make\nthat presence bear fruit in character change. This is where the strength\nof Smart Surau lies. Many see Smart Surau merely as a programme\nencouraging the digital attendance of children and teenagers at mosques\nand prayer houses. In truth, its meaning is much deeper. This programme\nseeks to revive the function of the surau as a community education\ncentre, as it once lived in Minangkabau tradition. In Minangkabau\nhistory, the surau was not just a place of worship. The surau was a\nplace to learn religion, shape character, train independence, and\nprepare the next generation of society, including through martial arts\nlike pencak silat. Its presence was even a crucial part of the\nphilosophy \u2018adat basandi syarak, syarak basandi Kitabullah\u2019 (tradition\nbased on religious law, religious law based on the Qur\u2019an). Therefore,\nwhen Smart Surau accustoms children and teenagers to being close to the\nsurau, what is being built is not merely an increase in the number of\nworshippers. What is being built is a habit of life. A teenager who is\naccustomed to praying in congregation will learn time discipline, manage\ndaily activities, and exercise self-control. Character is often shaped\nnot by major events, but by small habits performed consistently. If we\nlook closely, Masjid Sejuta Pemuda and Smart Surau essentially answer\ntwo basic needs of the younger generation. First, the need to be\naccepted. Second, the need to be guided. Masjid Sejuta Pemuda shows that\nyoung people need a space where they feel valued and involved. Smart\nSurau shows that once they are present, the educational process must run\nthrough continuous habituation and mentoring. Amidst rising concerns\nover brawls, youth violence, drug abuse, and various other generational\ncrises, the solution needed is not merely supervision and enforcement.\nThe young generation needs spaces that make them feel accepted while\nalso being guided. A mosque that serves will make them come without\nfear. A surau that educates will help them find their direction in life.\nService without education will only breed closeness without change.\nConversely, education without service risks creating rules without love.\nTherefore, both must go hand in hand. When mosques learn to serve and\nsurau return to educating, we are not just prospering houses of worship.\nWe are preparing the generation that will one day prosper them. For\nimams, preachers, religious teachers, and community leaders of the\nfuture are not born suddenly. They grow from the children who today feel\naccepted in the mosque and educated in the surau.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mosques-that-serve-surau-that-educate-1782355994",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}