Mohamad Sabry (second left) performs a gimmick to mark the
launch of this year’s Maal Hijrah celebrations.
KUCHING: Local Muslims should strengthen the role of mosques and suraus here to become more than just centres of worship.
Sarawak State Mosques Welfare Trust Board (LAKMNS) general manager Mohamad Sabry Othman said the facility could diversify its functions without compromising its core objective of uniting Muslims.
‘The (mosque and surau) committees should look at how to transform these centres for the better, through interactive and innovative religious programmes. This will help to draw more youths to be involved in such activities,” he said after launching for this year’s Maal Hijrah celebrations as well as a briefing session by LAKMNS at Sarawak Gold Club yesterday.
Mohamad Sabry also highlighted sports and recreational programmes as being among the good activities to be undertaken by the mosque and surau committees towards diversifying their roles in the communities that they were serving.
“Our current Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud during his tenure as chief minister, had repeatedly called for this undertaking. As such, I wish to echo his call in urging more people to be actively involved in activities organised by the committees of their neighbourhood mosques and suraus.”
On the Maal Hijrah event, Mohamad Sabry said 31 programmes had been lined for the celebrations.
The session yesterday featured a religious talk on Maal Hijrah by Ustaz Mustapha Kamal Ahmad Fauzi as well as a ‘Qasidah’ performance.