World Mosque Youth Develops Poverty Alleviation Programme
World Mosque Youth praised the Indonesian National Amil Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) for what it described as its consistent delivery of practical programmes that benefit the community, particularly efforts to strengthen mosques as centres for social services, education and economic empowerment.
The group’s president, Said Aldi Al Idrus, expressed the appreciation after meeting BAZNAS leaders in Jakarta on Friday, 23 October 2026. He was accompanied by Secretary-General Bustomi Mukhtar, Treasurer-General Ali Kamal Smith, Vice-President Alwi Muhdar and other officials, including Sedek Bahta, Diesty, Marlini, Faradina, Liana Piliang and Shanaz.
BAZNAS chairman Sodik Mudjahid stressed the importance of partners in developing programmes that have a direct impact on vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
“These efforts are expected to strengthen the role of mosques not only as places of worship, but also as centres for community services and empowerment. We believe World Mosque Youth can work with us on this agenda,” Sodik said in a statement, cited on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
Said outlined several existing social initiatives that could be further coordinated with BAZNAS. They include providing lighting through the Rumah Terang programme, access to clean water, food packages for poor families, protection for vulnerable workers, assistance for mosque cleaners, and humanitarian missions to Palestine and Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, southern Thailand and Vietnam.
“One of our leading proposals is the Mosque Cares for Poverty programme, designed to make mosques coordination centres for social assistance to people in their surrounding communities,” Said said.
“The programme includes setting up a food bank and distributing essential goods based on assessments of recipients’ needs, as well as supporting local economic empowerment through mosques,” he added.
Alongside poverty alleviation, World Mosque Youth proposed human-resources development initiatives, including scholarships for children from low-income families and training for mosque imams to strengthen their leadership, mosque management and community-service skills.