REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GARUT— Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs (Wamenag), Saiful Rahmat Dasuki, appreciated the role of the Government of Kuwait which has so far helped build religious infrastructure in a number of areas in Indonesia, one of which assisted in the development of Pondok Pesantren Darusuki Salam in Garut Regency, West Java.
“We certainly welcome what the Government of Kuwait is doing in helping the development of religious structures in our country,” Saiful said at the inauguration of the educational and social area of campus 2, Pondok Pesantren Darussalam in Kersaman District, Garut Regency, Wednesday (21/2/2024).
Saiful appreciates Kuwait's concern that it provides assistance for the development of religious structures that benefit the wider community, so it is hoped that it will continue to be carried out in other areas as well.
During this time, he continued, there was a lot of religious assistance to Indonesia from a number of countries, especially Middle Eastern countries as a form of appreciation for the diversity that exists in Indonesia.
“This is a form of appreciation for the diversity that exists in Indonesia, and we are responding to it quite positively and well,” he said.
He added that the Kuwaiti Government's assistance is not only infrastructure but there is a social side of it that is given to the people in Garut, then later there is also help in Purwakarta Regency.
“Tomorrow there will also be unveiled in Purwakarta, orphanages, mosques, and musolas, that's not counting aid from Kuwait,” he said.
He said the foreign aid provided to Indonesia was one of the successes of the Embassy's diplomacy which introduced Islam in Indonesia which was tolerant, and a positive view of Islam.
“They must have a special assessment, so they are willing to provide assistance to Indonesia,” he said.
The head of Pondok Pesantren Darussalam KH Devi Muharram Sholahuddin said the newly inaugurated Campus 2 was built for one year on 4.6 hectares of land from 5 January 2023 until the inauguration on 21 February 2024.
He mentioned that the campus 2 complex has complete educational and social support facilities such as mosque buildings, halls, classrooms, dormitories, orphanages, public kitchens, mini halls, resto, and teachers' offices.
“This is what we are building the first phase of this year for the santri son, this is the capacity of 750 people, if the total land area for this complex is 4.6 hectares, in the future we plan up to three thousand santri sons and daughters,” he said.
He said that the construction of Campus 2 complex was largely assisted by donors from Kuwait, then to improve the means of obtaining assistance from Indonesian donors, including santri, santriwati, and so on.
The building, he said, will begin to be used in the new school year 2024/2025, precisely in July 2024, which is expected to produce more and more centers and centriwati with knowledge, experience, and ethics.
“With educational institutions we hope the result is children who do have science, have morals, then have experience, that's what we teach at the cottage,” he said.