Islam Hadhari Juma'at

"Mosques perfect place to spread Islam Hadhari," says Najib

Mosques need not just be places of worship but can also act as centres to generate economic activities, gain and disseminate knowledge, and perform community services.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said with added capacities, mosques would be the perfect place to spread the message about Islam Hadhari.

"We must widen the scope and role of mosques as institutions which spur Muslim excellence.

"The mosque committees should be far-sighted and proactive to achieve this," Najib said.

Najib suggested that other committees, comprising academics, professionals and experts on economics and education, be set up to help with the running of local mosques.

Najib said the idea of incorporating mosques with economic production, knowledge dissemination and community centre was in line with the demands and needs of Muslims today.

"The more than 10,000 mosques and surau in the country provide a vast networking system and we must exploit their full potential."

Najib said businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, hair salons, tailor shops, polyclinics, and pawnbroking (Ar-Rahnu) and microcredit facilities could provide employment and gains for a mosque and local community.

Najib also suggested that Open University set up campuses in selected mosques.

Najib said mosques could also act as community centres where meetings, functions, weddings and counselling sessions could take place. Emphasis should also be placed on sprucing up the landscape of the mosques.

Wow, now mosques, will no more be the place of worship. It will also be a place to do business - hair salons, tailor shops, pawnshops and perhaps multi-level marketing activities. Mahaguru58 can now do his business networking and meetings at mosques. Probably, Mat Rempit can also do their networking there too as this is the pet project of Khairy Jamaluddin and Azeez.

So, Islam hadhari is not to be just about Islam; it includes commerce within Islam and within the compounds of the mosques.

I asked some Christians if they would also allow churches to be place for commerce. None agreed as they said the church is a place for worships and a place they wanted to share the knowledge of the love of God.

I asked the Chinese if they would allow their temples to be a place for commerce. They shot me down and said they are already a place for commerce and that I am out-dated. If you go to temples at specific period, they have performances, including singers performance. There were food stalls, stalls selling those prayer items and any businesses are allowed as long as they pay rentals. So, it looks like mosques will follow the trends of Chinese temples - a commerce centre. However, some Chinese temple have god of wealth, god of monkey, god of pig, god of love, god of making-babies, god of grief and god for 4-D and gambling. It is the reason why commerce is an integral part of temples. But Islam and mosques, they aren't "synergistic" with commerce? It was a pure religious community centre and though Muslims are encourage to be commercial and to be businessmen, they can carry out their business activities everywhere, at any time; but why the mosques? I don't know as I am not a Muslim and I have no right to conclude or even suggest. However, I have my right to ponder, nothing else.

Is Najib seeing something? Is there some inspiration or divine revelation?