Islamic Council president Datu Misnu Taha during the symbolic launch of the Standard Recognition of State
Mosque and Surau.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Islamic Council or Majlis Islam Sarawak (MIS) and Sarawak Islamic Religion Department or Jabatan Agama Islam Sarawak (JAIS) have developed and launched the Standard Rating System for State Mosque to set the standard for all mosques and surau in the state to follow.
This mainly concerns the whole of these worship institutions to be in top condition at all times so that worshippers can pray without feeling hesitant on the quality of cleanliness of these institutions. The system will see its implementation sometime in the middle of next month and will be divided into three zones or divisions namely North, South and Central.
The southern zone will consist of Kuching, Sri Aman and Serian while the northern division will consist of Bintulu, Limbang and Miri whereas the central division will consist of Kapit, Sibu and Mukah. Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity, Dr. Abdul Rahman Junaidi officiated at the system’s launch yesterday while being accompanied by MIS president Datu Misnu Taha and JAIS Director, S.S. Dato Haris Kassim. It was held at Masjid Darul Hana, here in Kuching. In Rahman’s speech, he said that the system is made by the government to ensure the heads of these prayer houses follow the guidelines made by the system in order for them to be able to follow the standard of cleanliness.
“The heads of mosques and surau should also be able to bring together the community not just to keep these places clean, but also instil a sense of belonging towards them (mosques and surau). “If there is any misconduct occurring, prevent it from happening. Let’s be responsible together,” said Rahman who is also heading one mosque in his constituency.
The project will also be supported by government agencies such as the Malaysia Productive Corporation (MPC) and local authorities such as the Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) and Kuching City South Council (MBKS).
