Crowds of People Attend the First Tarawih Prayer of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque

JAKARTA - Jamaah from various cities flocked to perform the first tarawih prayer of the 1447 Hijriah Ramadan at the Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta.

A mother named Lestari (48), from Depok, West Java, admitted that she was happy with the facilities of the mosque which continued to be updated, ranging from comfortable toilets, bathrooms provided for travelers (people who travel far), even facilities to stay in the mosque for i'tikaf (staying in the mosque) before Eid al-Fitr.

Reported by ANTARA, Lestari who was met at the Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, February 18, came with her three daughters using the electric train (KRL) felt that the affordability of the Istiqlal Mosque was also getting easier.

"I just got off (the station) Juanda, it's nice to live, I want to teach the children to be diligent in worship during Ramadan. I want to feel how the first tarawih at Istiqlal is," he said.

He admitted that he was happy because the Istiqlal Mosque during Ramadan also provided free Iftar facilities.

"Tomorrow I will try to open a free fast here, it's quite a lot," he said.

However, he felt that there should be special facilities for the elderly and the disabled from the wudhu place to the place of congregational prayer.

"It's just from the place of wudhu to the place of prayer, the road is a little far, I saw there was a lift, but maybe a wheelchair or special officer could be provided, it's a pity for the elderly mothers if the road is far," he said.

The Minister of Religion (Menag), Nasaruddin Umar said the Istiqlal Mosque is ready to be a home for all religious people, not only Muslims, during the 1447 Hijriah Ramadan.

"Because of its management model, Istiqlal was invited to the United Nations in New York and was trusted to be a model for the construction of mosques in Latin America and Africa," he said.

Nasaruddin said that one of the international icons of Istiqlal was the Silaturahim Tunnel, an underground passage connecting the Istiqlal Mosque with the Jakarta Cathedral, which is often visited by state guests, ranging from the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama to other heads of state.

"Inside the tunnel, there was a mixture of the sound of the azan and church bells, symbolizing inter-human harmony," he said.