"No, it (budget efficiency policy) has not (impeded the mosque's operations)," Umar, who is also serving as Religious Affairs Minister, said in response to a question posed by the media at the mosque in Jakarta on Friday.
He added that Istiqlal, as a state mosque, has proven its financial resilience, saying that the house of worship has organized several impactful initiatives for the people, such as vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and fund collections from interfaith communities.
"I find this trend surprising. We have been employing religious means to mobilize people, which is remarkable," he said.
Taking note of this, he called on members of the public to treat mosques and other houses of worship as institutions that are trustworthy and reliable for community empowerment initiatives.
He then shared his optimistic view about houses of worship, especially mosques, making greater contributions to government efforts to eliminate extreme poverty through the distribution of a variety of Islamic philanthropic funds.
He also highlighted the importance of optimizing the potential of houses of worship in various locations across the country to empower a broader segment of the population.
"In this approach, (alleviating) poverty is no longer an exclusive responsibility of the state, as the public can also make contributions. In other words, the state and civil society unite against poverty issues," he explained.
Umar then expressed the hope that the mosque he manages will play an even bigger role in society in the future.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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