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Istiqlal Mosque ready to host Idul Fitri prayer
The Istiqlal Mosque, Indonesia’s largest mosque, is prepared to welcome to 150,000 Muslims to perform Idul Fitri prayer on Sunday morning.
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View of the Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta, with the Cathedral Church just across the street. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
T
he Istiqlal Mosque, Indonesia’s largest mosque, is prepared to welcome up to 150,000 Muslims to perform the Idul Fitri prayer on Sunday morning.
The mosque’s protocol head Abu Hurairah Abdul Salam said that it had prepared a diesel generator to ensure there would be no electricity problems during the prayer among other measures.
“We have also had talks with the Cathedral Church and it will allow the congregation to pray in the church’s yard,” Abu said on Friday.
Dozens of Jakarta Boy and Girl Scouts and youth from Istiqlal will be in charge of serving the people on Sunday.
Istiqlal Mosque imam Ahmad Husni Ismail is set to lead the Idul Fitri prayer, while the Quranic exegesis expert Quraish Shihab will deliver a sermon.
The sermon’s theme, however, will only be informed later by the Religious Ministry on Saturday afternoon.
Istiqlal, which is located in Central Jakarta, has yet to receive information on whether or not President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla will pray at the mosque, Abu said.
“Residents [around the mosque] hope Jokowi can pray together with them at Istiqlal,” he added.
The president has celebrated Idul Fitri outside Jakarta for the past two years — in Aceh in 2015 and in West Sumatra in 2016.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung earlier stated that Jokowi would celebrate this year’s Idul Fitri in Jakarta. (tas)
