Bukit Sentul provides site to cleric Aa' Gym

Bukit Sentul provides site to cleric Aa' Gym

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Publicly-listed developer PT Bukit Sentul granted a one-hectare
plot of land to the Daarut Tauhiid Foundation, established by
noted Muslim cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar, better known as Aa' Gym.

The company's associate director, Hari Ganie, said on Thursday
that the plot of land inside the Bukit Sentul luxury housing
estate in Bogor municipality would be used to build a mosque and
an Islamic education center.

"We are providing the foundation with the land because we
consider Aa' Gym a role model whose teachings are remarkable and
down-to-earth. Moreover, he never offends other religions in his
sermons," Hari said.

Gymnastiar established the Daarut Tauhiid boarding school in
Gegerkalong Girang, Bandung, which has been rapidly developing
into a community with its own mosque, cooperative unit, cafe,
radio station, cottages, printing center and boutique.

He has a regular television show, Manajemen Qolbu (Mind
Management, abbreviated as MQ), on a private television station,
and -- in cooperation with several mobile phone operators -- also
launched a new package involving the daily delivery of words of
wisdom via short message service, called MQ Through Instant
Messages (MQTIME).

Hari said that the memorandum of understanding between the
company and the cleric had not yet been signed.

"We're not doing it solely for business reasons," he added,
"we need to embrace a prominent person like him whom everyone
respects."