Nusron Hands Over 13 Waqf Land Certificates in Banten: 'This Belongs to the Muslim Community'
Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid handed over 13 waqf land certificates for houses of worship and religious education institutions in Banten Province.
The ceremony, held at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) office in Banten, forms part of the Ministry of ATR/BPN’s commitment to accelerating waqf land certification in order to provide legal certainty over community assets.
“Waqf belongs to the Muslim community. It is the relinquishment of individual rights to the public, to the ummah. The state is therefore present to ensure that waqf land has legal certainty through certification. I urge everyone to tackle this together,” Nusron said in a written statement on Friday (20 February 2026).
Nusron’s call to accelerate waqf land certification was directed at all parties present, ranging from the BPN regional offices and local land offices responsible for the technical certification process, to the regional office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which oversees waqf administration.
Beyond government bodies, religious organisations such as Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, the Indonesian Ulema Council and other faith-based groups were also encouraged to collaborate.
Banten Province currently has 24,910 registered plots of land for houses of worship. Of these, only 9,148 plots — approximately 36.72 per cent — have been certified. This figure underscores the considerable scope for accelerating the certification of waqf and religious land in the province.
A range of innovations are being pursued, from strengthening inter-agency collaboration and establishing waqf adjudication hearings (sidang isbat wakaf) to providing dedicated waqf counters at land offices. These measures aim to speed up the registration of all waqf land across Indonesia.
“This is something we must push for together. The construction of mosques, prayer halls and other houses of worship continues apace, so waqf land certification must also be accelerated to keep up with the community’s needs,” he said.
Following up on the directive to fast-track waqf certification, a memorandum of understanding was signed at the same event between all land offices and Nahdlatul Ulama branch boards across Banten Province.
“The signing of this MoU, witnessed directly by the Minister and the Governor of Banten, represents our commitment to ensuring all waqf land in Banten is certified. Going forward, similar MoUs will be concluded with other religious organisations,” he said.
The event was attended by Banten Governor Andra Soni, Banten MUI Chairman Bazari Syam and Head of the Banten Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Amrullah. Minister Nusron Wahid was accompanied by Head of Public Relations and Protocol Shamy Ardian, along with officials from the Banten BPN regional office.