President Joins Congregational Prayer with Huntara Refugees at Masjid Aceh Tamiang
A serene atmosphere enveloped Masjid Darussalam in Simpang Empat Upah, Karang Baru Subdistrict, on Saturday morning, 21 March 2026. Among the thousands of congregants filling the prayer lines was a familiar figure: the 8th President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto.
This time, rather than at a protocol mosque in the capital, Prabowo chose to celebrate the victory of Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah with the people of Aceh Tamiang. His presence added a special colour to the local community’s Lebaran celebrations this year.
At exactly 07:20 WIB, the President arrived in a simple yet modest attire—a clean white koko shirt, black trousers, and a black peci. Without rigid barriers, he stepped inside accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
The President’s position in the front prayer line created an intriguing scene. He sat cross-legged, flanked by Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian on his right and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya on his left.
In addition to the three of them, the entourage also included Minister for State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and TNI Chief General Agus Subiyanto, making this Eid prayer particularly special for the local community.
Heart-Touching Worship
The resounding voice of Tengku Junaidi, the Imam of Masjid Darussalam, led the prayer proceedings at exactly 07:30 WIB. Behind him, around 1,300 congregants, including residents of the Aceh Tamiang Huntara temporary housing, prostrated in shared devotion.
“Seeing the President praying beside us feels like there is no distance. He appeared very devout in following the entire worship sequence,” said one of the attendees.
The President’s presence in the midst of the Huntara congregants seemed to be the culmination of the care he has shown for the land of Serambi Mekkah throughout this year’s Ramadan. Before stepping into Masjid Darussalam that morning, tangible support from Jakarta had already reached the kitchens of people across Aceh.
Through direct instructions from President Prabowo Subianto, the noble Meugang tradition was preserved even amid the community’s struggle to recover from the major flood impacts. In total, the aid poured in to uphold the dignity of this Acehnese tradition amounted to Rp 145.5 billion.
The aid was disbursed in two crucial stages. The first stage, worth Rp 72.75 billion, was allocated at the beginning of Ramadan (February 2026), followed by the second stage of the same value ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H.
Through tight coordination between the PRR Task Force and local government, this funding support was converted into thousands of quality cattle distributed evenly. The aid reached a total of 3,058 villages across 19 regencies/cities throughout Aceh.