REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SERANG – Banten Provincial Government with Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) in Banten plan to build floating mosque in Anyer Beach, Serang. “We welcome the idea. We are still waiting for the detail. Then we will discuss it to calculate the budget,” the Governor of Banten, Ratu Atut Chosiyah, said on Thursday.

She hopes the building of the floating mosque soon will be realized and draw support from every element in Banten. Hoping to attract more tourists, the mosque will become the Banten icon. “We could put in on the list for Banten religious tourism besides the Masjid Agung Banten Lama,” Chosiyah said.

The Chairman of Banten Floating Masjid Foundation (MTB), Ahmad Taufik Nuriman, hopes the building of the mosque can be realized in 2012. But he still speculates the budget to build the mosque. The building may need 66 billion IDR excluding the land acquisition about 2.5 to 3 hectares.

This 11.400 meter square mosque will be facilitated with canteen, Islamic hotel, and office complex. The remaining area is for parking, garden, and other religious activity. “About 60 percent of the building is floating over the sea. We could even consider to make it all 100 percent over the sea,” Nuriman said.