Islamic Centre Needed to Support Muslim Community in Japan

The increasing number of Muslims in Japan is driving the need for permanent worship facilities and Islamic activity centres. Responding to this need, Dompet Dhuafa and the Chiba Islamic Culture Center are collaborating to realise the construction of the Al-Muttaqin Mosque, which will function as an Islamic Centre in the Matsudo area, Chiba Prefecture. This commitment emerged during a meeting between Dompet Dhuafa and Sensei Kyoichiro Sugimoto from the Chiba Islamic Culture Center at the Philanthropy Building in South Jakarta on Thursday (25/6). The meeting marked an initial step in uniting a vision to provide a centre for worship, propagation, and education for the Muslim community in Japan. Kyoichiro Sugimoto assessed that a mosque plays a much broader role than merely a place for prayer. In a country with a non-Muslim majority, he said, an Islamic Centre becomes a crucial foundation for community development and the advancement of Islamic outreach. “In Japan, 99.9 per cent of the population is non-Muslim. Having a mosque or Islamic Centre will certainly have a very significant impact. Not just for prayer, but for da’wah, supporting the young Muslim generation and converts, because they are the future leaders who must maintain and develop the Muslim community in Japan for a long time,” he stated. Sugimoto likened the construction of the Islamic Centre to the concept of early Islamic community development in Medina. “I find this to be like our first pilot centre project. The city centre is the mosque, then creating the city of Medina. That is the concept of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). To create a community, an ummah, the mosque or Islamic Centre is the foundation,” he said. Although challenges exist, including the emergence of anti-Muslim sentiment on social media, Sugimoto is optimistic that the construction of the Islamic activity centre can be realised through collaboration among various parties. “Even though there are those who create baseless rumours, Islamophobia, and anti-Muslim movements. Still, this is the path of da’wah, there will certainly be challenges. God willing, if we are strong and work together, we can overcome them,” he asserted. Currently, the number of Muslims residing in Japan is estimated to be around 420,000 people. Interestingly, approximately half of this total population are Indonesian citizens working or settling in the Land of the Rising Sun. Beyond the physical construction of the mosque, the need for Islamic education is also a concern. Purwati Kasmaja, the wife of Sensei Sugimoto, said the Muslim community requires an educational centre so that the younger generation does not have to pursue religious education outside Japan. “We really need an educational facility. If there is none, we are forced to send these children to Muslim countries. Why don’t we bring the competence to Japan? Our hope for the future is that ustaz are sent there to pioneer a permanent educational model,” she said. Chairman of the Dompet Dhuafa Board, Ahmad Juwaini, stated that the construction of the Al-Muttaqin Mosque is part of an effort to strengthen Islamic outreach while addressing the needs of the Indonesian Muslim community and other Muslim communities in Japan. “This activity is certainly a very challenging one, requiring collaboration and synergy from many parties, including individuals who care about supporting the provision of Islamic educational facilities, religious activities, worship facilities, and campaigning for Islamic cultures to the community in Japan,” he said. According to Ahmad, the cooperation between the two parties does not stop at the construction of the mosque but can also be expanded to various da’wah and community empowerment programmes. “The hope is that Sensei Sugimoto’s visit to Dompet Dhuafa, both now and in the future, is in the context of doing good deeds. Actually, we can undertake many other forms of cooperation besides building the mosque. At the very least, in the context of da’wah, we can establish several collaborations going forward,” he said. As the Muslim population in Japan continues to grow, the construction of the Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Chiba has become a priority agenda. Dompet Dhuafa is inviting the public and the business sector to participate in supporting the provision of worship, education, and da’wah facilities for the Muslim community in Japan. “We invite all parties, both the public and companies, to help realise worship facilities, outreach, and Islamic education for the community in Japan by jointly funding the purchase of the building,” concluded Ahmad.