Jakarta, 6 March 2024 – The "Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024" program is an ongoing collaboration between the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) and Unilever Indonesia through its five brands: Wipol, Vixal, Sunlight, Rinso and Molto. Today, cleaning activities were held at one of the iconic mosques in Jakarta: the Kemayoran Akbar Mosque. This series of programs has been held since last January and has overseen the distribution of 50,000 hygiene packages for mosques throughout the archipelago.
In addition, direct visits were made to several other grand mosques to work together to clean them, with Jakarta as the final city. Involving 350 volunteers, today's event was also attended by the Chairman of the DMI Central Board, the management of the Central DMI and the DKI Jakarta Region, the management of the Mosque Prosperity Council (DKM) of the Kemayoran Akbar Mosque, the Board of Directors of Unilever Indonesia, and several other public figures.
Since 2017, the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ program has been a collective 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 this collaboration, Dr. (H.C.) Drs. H. Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, Chairman of the DMI Central Board stated: "I would like to express my gratitude that, ahead of Ramadan, we are stepping up the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ again. In the month of Ramadan, everyone will prostrate in the mosque. If the mosque, toilets, ablution places, or worship effects are not clean, it can cause problems. So, for the past seven years, the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ with Unilever has been designed to move the public to focus more on cleanliness .”
“This is just one example, but the estimated 800,000 mosques in Indonesia must also participate in this effort. So, both the movement and togetherness are important and must be prioritized. Thank you again for the cooperation of all parties, especially with Unilever, which has always been part of this excellent effort."
As the host, Drs. H. Mahsruh Hadie SH MSi, Chairman of the DKM of Kemayoran Akbar Mosque, also expressed his appreciation: "The DKM of Akbar Mosque Kemayoran is very grateful for the selection of this mosque as one of the places to implement the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’. It is a fact that purifying and caring for the mosque is part of the Muslim faith. Insya Allah, the good intentions of all parties ranging from Unilever, the Government to the public will develop the Kemayoran Akbar Mosque even further in terms of cleanliness. Let us together keep the mosque clean."
This 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 after Eid al-Fitr. For this reason, there are many risks of diseases that commonly arise during the rainy season, not least in public facilities such as mosques.
Narila Mutia Nasir, M.K.M., Ph.D., Public Health Expert and Chairperson of the DKI Jakarta Regional Board of the Indonesian Association of Public Health Experts (IAKMI) explained: "Several types of diseases that must be watched out for during the rainy season include influenza, ARI, leptospirosis, diarrhea, dengue fever, typhoid fever and skin diseases. These 'regular' diseases often appear due to increased air humidity; disease-carrying agents that spread more easily in the rainy season, and various types of bacteria and microorganisms that thrive in standing water.“
“The risk is even higher in crowded public areas, including mosques. For example, leptospirosis, a disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira sp., which is usually present in rat urine, is very likely to be carried into the mosque from puddles and floods in the vicinity and eventually settle on the mosque floor. Routine cleaning using a liquid floor cleaner with disinfectant content that is effective in killing bacteria is a surefire step to prevent and reduce the risk of getting this disease."
Anggya Kumala, Head of Home & Hygiene Unilever Indonesia clarified this: "Amid the risk of diseases, the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024’ program has prepared a cleaner and more hygienic mosque to welcome the month of Ramadan. One way we are doing this is through the distribution of hygiene product packages to 50,000 mosques spread throughout Indonesia. Unlike previous years, we started these activities earlier.”
“Since January we have held direct cleaning activities at the grand mosques in these four cities: West Sumatra Grand Mosque - Padang, Sabilal Muhtadin Grand Mosque - Banjarmasin, Al Jabbar Grand Mosque - Bandung, and Baiturrahman Grand Mosque - Banda Aceh. The four grand mosques have their own uniqueness, making them iconic and beloved by the Muslim communities, and so they are always crowded with worshipers. It is hoped that our efforts will inspire more people to keep their mosques clean and that these good habits will also be carried out in their homes.”
In each city, the “Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024” has received full support from not only the DMI Central Board, the DMI regional boards, mosque imams, and their daily managers, but also from the Government. They all appreciate Unilever Indonesia's continuous commitment – even in difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic – to always glorify mosques while inspiring people to care more about their mosques’ cleanliness. In addition, during these activities, nearly 1,000 volunteers consisting of DMI administrators, mosque administrators, Majlis Taklim mothers, and local public members have been working together to clean various areas and facilities of their mosques.
"Not only are we cleaning these mosques with the support of our five brands: Wipol, Vixal, Sunlight, Rinso, and Molto, but we are also educating the public about the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of prayer devices, cooking and eating utensils, and the environment around the mosques more broadly," Anggya continued.
Closing the "Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024" program, Jakarta was the last stop for the cleaning activities at the Kemayoran Akbar Mosque. This mosque was chosen because it has various features, such as its architectural design, which reflect a combination of Middle Eastern and Demak (Central Java) architecture, which are two centers of Islamic culture. Not surprisingly, this mosque is also one of the religious tourism sites, and it is often crowded with local and foreign tourists, especially during Ramadan, so its cleanliness must always be maintained.
These cleaning activities include the floors of the rooms, hallways, toilets and ablution rooms of the mosque to ensure they are free from bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, prayer equipment, cooking and eating utensils are also carefully washed so that they are safe for use by mosque administrators and worshipers.
Irfan Hakim, a celebrity who participated in today's activity talked about this: "The mosque is where my family and I will be spending a lot of time in Ramadan. Of course, I want to make sure that the place where we gather will be clean and free from diseases so that we can worship in peace.”
“I am very happy that today I have the opportunity to participate in cleaning this mosque during the ‘Gerakan Masjid Bersih’ program, especially since the enthusiasm shown by my fellow volunteers is extraordinary. Insya Allah, today's activities can help deepen our worship, especially because cleanliness is part of faith. Today's activities have also inspired me to pay more attention to cleanliness at home, so that my children's health is better protected."
But we are not stopping here: "Gerakan Masjid Bersih 2024" for the first time opens the chance for the general public to nominate their own mosques to benefit from this program. From February 17 - March 31, 2024, the public can contact the WhatsApp number +628561581158 to send photos and interesting stories about their mosques. 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.
"Unilever Indonesia and its five brands are very grateful for the sincere support given by all parties, and hope that this collaboration will continue to bring goodness, blessings and benefits to all mosques and Muslims in Indonesia," Anggya concluded.