New center expected to raise RI's Islamic profile

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.