New center expected to raise RI's Islamic profile

By Rita A.Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is set to take a more prominent place in the Islamic world following today's opening of the Bayt-Al Quran and Istiqlal Museum by President Soeharto at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in East Jakarta.

Dubbed one of the biggest museum, research and study centers of its kind, the facility is expected to emerge as a major force in the development of Islam in Indonesia and neighboring countries.

The only other Bayt-Al Quran is in Bahrain.

Ponco Sutowo, chairman of the construction committee, said little is known internationally of Indonesia's rich Moslem traditions even though the country is the largest Islamic nation by population with around 175 million adherents.

"We want to open the minds and the eyes of people that Indonesia is home to numerous Islamic scholars and artists, who have been producing great works since Islam entered the country centuries ago," said Ponco, who is also chairman of the Istiqlal Foundation.

Scholars are divided over when exactly Islam entered the archipelago. Some historians believe the religion spread from Aceh in the late 12th century but others contend there is evidence it was present in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The center is expected to bring a larger role for Indonesia in Islam's development in the 21st century, Ponco said.

Noted architect Ahmad Noe'man designed the Rp 43 billion (around US$20 million) complex. Funding was provided by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Ponco said the inspiration for the center came from the success of the two Istiqlal festivals for promotion of Islamic art and scholarly works. Millions visited the festivals at the Central Jakarta mosque.

"We didn't know how to accomplish this dream until the late Ibu Tien Soeharto, the first lady, gave us the green light by providing a plot of land at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah," he said.

"It was a great challenge for all committee members to finish it on deadline to coincide with the 22nd anniversary of Taman Mini, as required by Ibu Tien."

The Bayt-Al Quran, covering an area of 2,315 square meters, is intended as a venue for the recitation, study and discussion of the Koran to enable Moslems to live better lives. The Istiqlal Museum preserves and documents Islamic arts, artifacts and other objects dating from ancient times to the present.

The adjacent buildings, linked by a corridor, cover a total area of 20,402 square meters.

Inseparable

A.D. Pirous, a member of the team of curators, explained the complementary and inseparable function of the two buildings.

"The design symbolizes Islamic faith which harmoniously combines both heavenly and earthly lives," explained the dean of the Fine Arts Department of the Bandung Institute of Technology.

The four-story Bayt Al-Quran will exhibit many historical Koran scripts. These include the Mushaf Istiqlal, a giant Koran from Bondowoso, East Java, the 300-year-old Koran belonging to the Islam community in New York, and ancient Islamic manuscripts.

Private and government agencies also made donations, such as the oversize copy of the Koran compiled by students of the Al- Asy'ariyyah Islamic boarding school in Wonosobo, Central Java.

The museum team is searching for other old copies of the Koran, interpretations (tafsir) of the Koran, and important documents both from Indonesia and abroad.

Quraish Shihab, the chief coordinator of the Bayt Al-Quran, emphasized the primary role of the center as a place for research and exchange of ideas about Islam.

"Most importantly, the Bayt Al-Quran is not a display room for the Koran. It is the place where people can conduct various studies and research that deal with the Koran," said the rector of Jakarta's State Institute for Islamic Studies.

The first floor houses the office for the agency which checks documents, a book store, souvenir shop, cafeteria and exhibit room. Exhibition and audio-visual rooms are located on the second floor. A laboratory, research and study room, and library are on the third floor. The upper storey has a convention hall seating 2,000 and classrooms.

"This convention hall is the core of the Bayt Al-Quran since it functions as a central place for local and international Moslem scholars to discuss and develop their knowledge of Islam," he said.

The Istiqlal Museum testifies to the material world of Islam.

Since the Prophet Muhammad spread Islam in Saudi Arabia in the first decades of the seventh century, the religion encompassed all aspects of the lives of its followers, including art and culture. Islamic art is not exclusive to any nationality but has been developed by Moslems in their respective countries.

In Indonesia, Islamic art covers object, architecture, calligraphy, fine arts, household items and musical instruments, examples of which will be exhibited at the Istiqlal Museum.

"There are still abundant Islamic art collections in our country. We hope that people will donate or lend them to the museum so that all visitors have opportunities to see these priceless collections," Pirous said.

The museum's curators have been hunting for art items from throughout the country. Items collected include a model of the great Mosque of Demak in Central Java, a five-ton gong from Purworedjo, Central Java, and Sostrokartono's famed calligraphy and Mantingan relief, which were donated by the Central Java administration.

"We need between two and three years to stockpile comprehensive collections to meet the demand of our targeted visitors," Pirous said.

The center is expected to attract scholars, artists, students and the general public.

Director General of Cultural Affairs Edi Sedyawati hopes the museum will be managed professionally, particularly in its promotional activities. "A lot of effort must be made to draw people to the Bayt-Al Quran and the Istiqlal Museum," she said during a discussion recently.

"The management of the new museum must be active in creating attractive programs such as traveling exhibitions, Koran recital courses, discussions, art expos and other religious and cultural activities."

She described Islam as a dynamic faith and added that the facilities should record all aspects of its development.