| Lyna Mohamad |
THE main objective of religious propagation (Dakwah) is to diversify the medium through the effective dissemination of Islam, while strengthening cultural and religious practices, said Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman, the Minister of Religious Affairs, during a goodwill meeting yesterday between his ministry and members of the Legislative Council (LegCo).
Among those present at the meeting were Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud, the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs and Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz bin Orang Kaya Maharaja Lela Haji Mohd Yusof, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and a Doa led by Pengiran Haji Amiruddin bin Pengiran Haji Damit, the Acting Principal of the Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, which was followed with speeches by the minister and YB Haji Emran bin Haji Sabtu, the representative of LegCo.
In his remarks, the minister said that MoRA is responsible for ensuring Islam as a way of life for the local community, and in the organisation of strategies to achieve the goals of Brunei Vision 2035.
“In view of this, MoRA has set its policies on the principles of Maqasid Syariah (the objectives of Syariah law) towards preserving the religion and faith of Muslims in this country through strategies and procedures covering education, Dakwah and Syiar, Haj and Umrah management, Zakat management, Waqaf and Baitul Mal management, mosque affairs, legislation and enforcement, and Syariah affairs and administration,” he said.
The minister also disclosed that various activities and programmes were conducted from January to October this year to guide youths towards a better understanding and appreciation of Islamic teachings.
“Currently, MoRA is also upgrading the curriculum of Arabic schools through an Arabic School Direction Committee, in line with the titah of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam at the 7th Haflut Al-Takharruj at the Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) last month, where the monarch stressed on the objectives of producing Arabic school graduates to be advanced, not just in terms of learning quality, but also in terms of overall quality,” he said.
The minister then extended his appreciation to the Government of Saudi Arabia for the increased quota of Haj pilgrims this year, saying this development allowed the Haj Affairs Department to provide the country’s pilgrims with excellent services.
He also highlighted the need to collaborate with other agencies related to industrial, trading and businesses on matters pertaining to Halal food affairs, in accordance with the enforcement of the Halal Certificate and Label Act on May 26, this year.
“The use of Halal permits and certificates serves as a quality assurance for consumers and customers, that the food being marketed or served is purely Halal,” he added.
The minister also disclosed that as of September this year, the Mosque Construction Fund has collected the sum of $6,583,645.95.
“With the new initiative introduced to civil servants, currently, a total of 54,622 civil servants have registered as contributors to the fund through their voluntary monthly salary deduction of $2,” he told the gathering.
“The Kampong Tanjung Bunut Mosque, which is the first project under the fund, began construction work on June 20, 2017, with an estimated cost of $3,041,902.87; and the construction progress currently has reached 13.82 per cent, exceeding the target of 12.73 per cent, and it is scheduled to be completed by June 2018.”
The goodwill meeting presented an opportunity for MoRA and LegCo members to discuss matters on developments and updated policies, in addition to making preparations for the First Meeting at the 14th LegCo Session of 2018/2019.
Yesterday’s meeting concluded with a dialogue session between MoRA and LegCo members.
The post MoRA discusses latest policies at meeting with LegCo members appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.