Crisis delays restoration works on aging mosque

JAKARTA (JP): The current financial hardship has badly affected the restoration of the nearly three-century-old Kebon Jeruk mosque in Kota, the city's Chinatown in downtown Jakarta.

According to the head of the mosque restoration committee, Ahmad Zulfakar, donations for the work last year totaled Rp 135 million (US$18,000) and it all came from a single source: the Jakarta Museum and Restoration Agency.

"With that amount of money, we're only able to restore the mosque's roof which was already extremely old and could have collapsed easily," the 67-year-old Moslem preacher said on Friday.

Located on the busy Jl. Hayam Wuruk, the 1,500-square-meter mosque is believed to have been built in 1718 by a Chinese immigrant family from Greece.

Ahmad said the mosque's last major renovation was in the 1950s.

The committee, he said, had been suffering financial problems regarding the renovation work for some time.

With the renovation only half complete, the mosque could no longer accommodate all the Moslems who want to use it, particularly during Friday prayers, Ahmad said.

But it still opens for other regular daily prayers, he added.

The mosque is in the vicinity of several discotheques and bars run mostly by Chinese-Indonesians.

Some of the entertainment spots were burned and looted during the May riots.

According to Ahmad, "very few or no Chinese Moslems" have prayed at the mosque since the unrest.

"Before the May riots, many Chinese Moslems -- about 20 percent of the entire congregation -- said their prayers daily here.

"But since the riots, I have only seen a very few of them coming here to pray," he said, adding that the renovation committee had never accepted any donation from the operators of the nearby entertainment spots.

Ahmad admitted that the mosque had been popular among international Moslem preachers, such as those from Australia, China, South Africa, the Netherlands, India, Saudi Arabia and France, but is still unable to collect enough money to complete the renovation.

He said the mosque received dozens of visiting Moslem preachers from other abroad everyday.

"They visit us here just to preach," Ahmad said.

Those wishing to donate funds for the immediate restoration of the aging mosque can contact Ahmad on 021 847 6631 or meet him at the mosque. (ylt)