The Number Of Waqf Lands In Indonesia Is Small, Here's The Fact

Deputy Chairperson Of BWI Imam Teguh Saptono/PHOTO: Theresia Agatha-VOI

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Waqf Agency (BWI) said the number of Indonesian waqf lands was still relatively small.

Deputy Chairman of BWI Imam Teguh Saptono said the number of waqf lands in Indonesia only reached 0.03 percent of the total land area in the country, namely 57,263 hectares (ha).

"(The number) of waqf lands in Indonesia is only 0.03 percent, this is small and less than Singapore," said Imam at the 2024 Workshop and National Working Meeting of the Indonesian Waqf and Zakat Journalists Forum (Forjukafi) in Jakarta, Saturday, February 24.

Imam said that the number of Singaporean waqf land itself has reached about 3 percent of its land area. Thus, the number of waqf land in Indonesia is relatively low compared to the country.

"Singapore is 3 percent waqf land. So, if you say Singaporeans are the capital, it turns out that Singapore's waqf land is bigger than Indonesia, which is 3 percent of its land area,"

Imam said that currently Turkey is the country with the largest amount of waqf land in the world, reaching one-fifth of its land area.

"The largest waqf land in the world is occupied by Turkey. If we go to Turkey, it's around a fifth. So, if we stand on land like that, yes, what I steppe on is waqf land or not. The biggest probability is in Turkey," he added.