JK Inaugurates Hajjah Yuliana Mosque in Australia: Worship and Science Must Go Hand in Hand
The Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), Jusuf Kalla (JK), has stressed that a mosque does not only function as a place of worship, but also as a centre for community development, the advancement of knowledge, and the progress of Islamic civilisation. He made the remarks while attending the signing and groundbreaking ceremony for the Hajjah Yuliana Mosque in the Laverton area of Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday (27/6/2026).
Addressing the Indonesian Muslim community in Australia, Kalla stated that the prosperity of a mosque is determined by three main elements: the party that builds it, the administrators who manage it, and the congregation that enlivens it through various acts of worship and community activities. ‘A mosque will truly come alive when it is built, managed well, and filled with worshippers who pray and carry out activities beneficial to society,’ Kalla said.
He also assessed that the presence of a mosque abroad has a broader function as a centre of unity for the Indonesian Muslim community, while simultaneously safeguarding the nation’s identity, culture, and civilisation within a multicultural society. In his speech, Kalla encouraged Muslims not only to deepen their religious knowledge but also to master science and technology. According to him, the progress of a nation is largely determined by the quality of its human resources and its mastery of technology.
‘Worship and the mastery of knowledge must go hand in hand. Muslims must be able to produce a generation that masters technology in order to compete and build civilisation,’ he said. He also emphasised the importance of improving the economic welfare of the community, noting that successful economic development would strengthen the community’s ability to fulfil socio-religious obligations, including zakat.
Meanwhile, the Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Melbourne, Yohannes Jatmiko Heru Prasetyo, expressed his appreciation for the realisation of the Hajjah Yuliana Mosque construction and the development of the Indonesian Community Victoria (ICV) Islamic Centre. According to Yohannes, the construction marks an important milestone for the development of the Indonesian Muslim community in Australia, while strengthening ICV’s role as a unifying home for the Indonesian community in Victoria.
He expressed hope that the mosque and Islamic activity centre would become a friendly and tolerant face of Indonesian Islam, capable of strengthening brotherhood among people. ‘May the Hajjah Yuliana Mosque become a centre for worship, education, and social activities that benefits the community and strengthens the relations of the Indonesian community in Australia,’ he said.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Hajjah Yuliana Mosque was attended by community leaders, ICV administrators, religious scholars, and Indonesian Muslim residents in Australia. The construction of the mosque is expected to become a centre for religious, educational, and social activities, as well as the development of young Indonesian Muslims in Victoria. The Hajjah Yuliana Mosque itself is an endowment from Haji Yendra Fahmi; the endowed land is a former Laverton police station purchased through an auction in April 2026, covering an area of 1,500 square metres.