MUI Karawang to Establish Mualaf Centre as More Foreigners Embrace Islam

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Karawang Regency plans to establish a Mualaf Centre following an increase in the number of foreign nationals embracing Islam in the area. The institution is being prepared to provide more structured religious guidance for converts.

Chairman of MUI Karawang, KH Tajuddin Nur, stated that the council currently lacks a dedicated guidance centre for converts. As a result, post-shahada support is still carried out in a simple manner, involving family members, witnesses, MUI officials, and community leaders.

‘We do not yet have a Mualaf Centre. It is still just an aspiration. Hopefully, we can cooperate with Baznas so that the guidance for converts can be improved,’ he said when contacted on Tuesday (4/8/2026).

He explained that the Mualaf Centre is expected to serve not only as a venue for basic Islamic guidance but also as a gathering place for converts, including foreign nationals residing in Indonesia. ‘We want there to be a kind of reunion or gathering for our brothers and sisters who have embraced Islam. That way, the guidance can be more sustainable,’ he said.

The plan to establish the Mualaf Centre comes amid a rising number of foreign nationals reciting the shahada at the MUI Karawang office. Based on MUI records, foreign nationals come to embrace Islam almost every month. Around 30 per cent of the converts guided by MUI are foreign nationals from countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Germany, and Finland.

According to Kiai Tajuddin, the primary factor driving someone to embrace Islam is divine guidance from Allah SWT. However, he also observed that the friendliness of Indonesian society and the interactions foreign nationals have with Muslims serve as additional attractions. ‘From the MUI’s perspective, we think positively. It is Allah who grants guidance. But the friendliness of Indonesian society is also a pull factor that makes them interested in learning about Islam,’ he said.

He added that the phenomenon of increasing numbers of converts is not unique to Karawang. Based on communication among MUI officials across regencies and cities in West Java, similar conversion processes involving foreign nationals and non-Muslim Indonesians frequently occur in Sukabumi, Indramayu, and Tasikmalaya. Kiai Tajuddin expressed hope that the future Mualaf Centre would strengthen the faith of converts so that their journey does not end merely at the recitation of the shahada.