Involving 300 volunteers, this activity aims to prepare cleaner, more hygienic mosques so that during Ramadan, the thousands of worshipers flocking to these mosques can worship and gather more safely and comfortably. This event was also attended by the leadership of Unilever Indonesia; the board of DMI Central and Aceh region; Prof. Dr. Teuku H Azman İsmail, MA, the Grand Imam of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque; Aceh Special Region Provincial Government; and several community leaders.
Implemented since 2017, the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ program is a sustainable social collaboration between DMI and Unilever Indonesia to encourage cleaner, more comfortable mosques for Muslims in Indonesia, especially during Ramadan. To date, this program has been supported by more than 150,000 volunteers and benefited 220,000 mosques across the country.
Regarding the collaboration, Drs. H. Andi Mappaganty, MM, Chairman of DMI's Humanitarian Social Division stated: "DMI sees that Unilever Indonesia's concerns and goodwill towards both the local communities and Muslims have been going on for a long time so there is no need to doubt. This goodwill is evident from our collaboration through the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ program, which has been fostered since 2017.”
“Following up on the signing of the MoU at the end of last year, Aceh is the fourth stopover city in this year's series of mosque cleanup activities. Insha Allah, the implementation of this program will continue to benefit mosques and worshipers in various parts of Indonesia."
In his speech, Tgk. H. Fakhruddin Lahmuddin, S. Ag., M. Pd., Chairman of the Aceh DMI Regional Leadership also said: “On behalf of the Regional Management and also the DMI Regional Management, we would like to express our appreciation for these collaborations between the Central Management and Unilever Indonesia, which serve to benefit society. One of these initiatives is the " Gerakan Masjid Bersih" program. Especially for the Aceh region, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this program delivered 560 hygiene packages that were distributed to mosques throughout the region.”
“This time, besides the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, which was chosen as one of the five mosques in Indonesia to be cleaned during the launch of this program, Unilever will also donate 4,000 hygiene packages to Aceh, which will again distribute to other mosques. This program hopefully be able to continuously raise not only the public’s awareness, but also the awareness of mosques’ management and mosque committees so that they remain constantly concerned about cleanliness and beauty of our mosques. This attitude will thus become an inspiration to ensure mosques, mushollas and public environments are kept clean, beautiful and comfortable. Aamiin.”
This cleanup effort is also becoming increasingly important because, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the rainy season will continue until April 2024 or until past Eid al-Fitr. As a result, various risks of diseases that commonly arise during the rainy season threaten the public, not the least in public facilities such as mosques. For this reason, collaboration is needed to ensure that cleanliness minimizes these risks from now on.
Anggya Kumala, Head of Home & Hygiene Unilever Indonesia explained: “This ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ program will reach 50,000 mosques in various parts of Indonesia. One of its activities involves cleaning mosques together with both their Marbuts and residents in five grand mosques in five cities across the archipelago from the West to the East, including the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh.”
“It is an honor for us to have the privilege of conducting programs in this iconic mosque. Besides being a central place of worship, community development, and a symbol of Muslim civilization in Banda Aceh, Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is one of the religious tourism destinations that we need to take care all together, especially in terms of cleanliness.”
"Not only are we cleaning the mosque with the support of our five brands, consisting of Wipol, Vixal, Sunlight, Rinso, and Molto, but we are also educating the publice about the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of prayer tools, cooking and eating utensils, and the surrounding environment of the mosque more widely. We are starting this activity now so that more extensive education about cleanliness can be disseminated earlier and the mosque management can have more time to prepare the cleanliness and hygiene of its facilities and environment to welcome Ramadan," Anggya continued.
The cleaning activities at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque included the floors, hallways, toilets and ablution rooms until they were germ-free; it also involved washing prayer tools and cleaning the cooking and eating utensils to ensure they could be more safely used by mosque administrators and worshipers. In addition, donations of hygiene product packages were handed over along with a call to maintain mosque cleanliness so that worshipers can also be inspired to apply these good hygienic habits in their own homes. The whole series of activities involved 300 volunteers consisting of mosque management and DMI-assisted communities.
Another special item on the agenda of the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024’ program was that, for the first time, the public was invited to nominate mosques around them so that they could also gain the benefits of this program. From February 17 until 31 March 2024, the public is invited to submit photos and interesting stories about their mosques through the WhatsApp number +628561581158. Later, 1,000 selected mosques from various parts of Indonesia will receive positive benefits from this program in the form of cleaning packages that can improve the comfort of worshipers and mosque hygiene.
“We are grateful for the support and cooperation from the DMI Aceh province and the management of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque Alhamdulillah, which allowed us to complete these activities flawlessly. We hope that all the agendas that we carry out can bring compassion, blessings and benefits to the public and Muslims in the beloved city of Banda Aceh. Aamiin Ya Rabbal Aalaamiin," Anggya concluded.