MUI Supports IGI's Reconstruction Efforts in Gaza, Palestine

Sympathy continues to flow for the suffering of residents in Gaza, Palestine. This time, several NGO leaders, including those from Bandung, visited the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on Tuesday (31/3). They are leaders from Yayasan Amal Bakti Dunia Islam (Abadi), Yayasan Kasih Palestina, and Yayasan Harapan Amal Mulia. All three are part of the Indonesia Gaza Initiative (IGI). The leaders intended to foster relations with MUI’s board while seeking views on IGI’s upcoming reconstruction programme in Gaza, Palestine. “We see that since the genocide in Gaza over the past two years until now, there has been no concrete action to help the suffering community there,” stated Lalu Lauhul Hamdi, Chairman of Yayasan Abadi and also Chairman of IGI. Also present at the meeting were, among others, MUI’s Foreign Affairs Chairman, Prof. Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, along with board members, Director of Yayasan Kasih Palestina Nandang Cahya, and Director of Yayasan Harapan Amal Mulia Agis Muhsin. Hamdi added that various NGOs that initiated IGI are committed to taking concrete steps in the form of reconstruction in Gaza. Moreover, he said, they will not only educate and invite the public to participate but also involve Gaza’s residents in the planning and implementation process of the reconstruction. “Alhamdulillah, we previously had a portfolio in building Masjid Istiqlal Gaza in Khan Younis,” Hamdi revealed. He added that they will also invite national figures and local leaders to join as initiators in IGI to realise this Gaza reconstruction programme. “We also hope that MUI can guide us so that the programme we envision can be realised and bring change to Gaza, Palestine,” Hamdi emphasised. MUI’s Foreign Affairs Chairman, Prof. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, expressed strong support for IGI’s presence in a collective movement for Palestine. According to him, in defending the Palestinian nation, MUI has moved to unite civil society forces across several pillars, including Islamic organisations, philanthropic institutions, and the DPR RI’s Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency. “So what IGI is doing aligns with what MUI is doing,” he stated. Nevertheless, Sudarnoto hopes that in the future, IGI and various other pro-Palestine movements can unite under one big umbrella using one identity: the Red and White flag or Indonesia. He supports IGI in inviting hundreds of national figures to join as initiators in the Gaza reconstruction programme. Sudarnoto even urged IGI to seize the Gaza reconstruction narrative from the hands of the US and Israel, which is promoted through the Board of Peace, with the narrative that Gaza’s reconstruction is in the hands of the Muslim ummah. “But in line with the constitutional mandate, we are not only fighting for Gaza’s reconstruction but also for Palestine’s independence,” stressed the Professor from Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah. The fellowship forum concluded with the handover of souvenirs and T-shirts printed with Indonesia Gaza Initiative.