bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

As Friday prayers wrap up at Suada mosque, worshippers turn their attention outside, where Fakhry Affan steers a drone high above, snapping pictures of the building tucked in a corner of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.
Affan leads a government team of some 1,000 mosque hunters who have spent years visiting every corner of the 5,000km-long archipelago to answer one question: how many mosques are there in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation?
“Only God knows exactly how many mosques there are in Indonesia,” former vice-president Jusuf Kalla quipped recently. “Some say around one million and people will take it for granted.”
So far, Affan’s team has registered 554,152 mosques and the census – which kicked off in 2013 – is only about 75 per cent done, Affan says.

Earlier government estimates pegged the total at more than 740,000 nationwide.
Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia’s 260 million people are Muslim and it is home to Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque, Southeast Asia’s biggest with room for 200,000 worshippers.
So it’s a Herculean task for Affan and his team at the religious affairs ministry as it scours a country of some 17,000 islands, where new mosques are going up all the time.
This is an endless job ... one thing is for sure: the number of new ones will keep going up.
Fakhry Affan
After getting key information about Mamuju city’s 3,000 capacity Suada mosque – including building permit and mosque committee details – Affan uploads his drone pictures to a bulging online database.
“We did it manually in the past, but now we’re going digital,” he said.
The government is also planning to launch an Android-based app called Info Masjid (Mosque Info) so Muslims can use their smartphone to find the nearest place of worship.
How the sharia economy shapes democracy in Indonesia
Nur Salim Ismal, who attends the Suada mosque, hopes the move online will bring greater transparency.
“Mosques manage huge amounts of money from worshippers and it should be clear how it’s being used,” he said.
But the mosque hunt isn’t just a counting exercise – it’s also a way to keep an eye on radicalism.
“Radical ideology can mushroom anywhere and mosques are one of the easiest places for it to spread,” Affan said. “Why? Because you don’t need to invite people to the mosque, they’ll come anyway.
“We want to ensure that all imams and [mosque] committees are moderate because Islam in Indonesia is moderate,” he added.

Indonesia’s long-held reputation for tolerant pluralism has been tested in recent years.
Muslim hardliners are becoming increasingly vocal in public and the country is home to dozens of extremist groups loyal to Islamic State group’s violent ideology.
In 2018, Indonesia’s intelligence agency said it had found dozens of mosques that catered to government workers spreading radicalism and calling for violence against non-Muslims – in one Jakarta neighbourhood alone.
Indonesia’s largest Muslim group set for bigger role in Jokowi’s second term
The alarming figures came several months after Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya was rocked by a wave of suicide bombings carried out by families at churches during Sunday services, killing a dozen people.
Members of a local group loyal to Islamic State tried to assassinate Indonesia’s chief security minister last year, while in November a militant suicide bomber killed himself and injured six others during an attack at a police station.
Indonesia’s new vice-president Ma’ruf Amin, a cleric-turned-politician, has said the government would start certifying preachers and mosque congregations nationwide to stamp out militants in their ranks.

“There is potential for mosques to be prone to radicalism if they’re not monitored,” said Ali Munhanif, an expert on political Islam at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. “The government has a responsibility to keep its eye on all mosques in Indonesia.”
In the tally so far, the team has counted 258,958 large mosques and another 295,194 smaller ones, which fit 40 people or fewer.
Affan and his team hope to finish the initial round of counting this year.
“But this is an endless job and it’ll never be finished,” he said. “It’s pretty rare for a mosque to close down, but one thing is for sure: the number of new ones will keep going up.”


Will Indonesia’s US$762 million Ramadan stimulus be a ‘positive’ boost for the economy?

Why big power rivalry is the ‘main threat’ to Asean maritime security

Indonesia’s tourist visa, Filipino assaulted in Singaporean mall: 7 Asia highlights

Indonesia’s capital is drowning in waste: ‘the smell is awful’

Indonesia

In Indonesia, ‘mosque hunters’ are scouring 17,000 islands with drones to log the official tally

The Suada mosque in Mamuju, Indonesia. Photo by AFP

Kubah Mas (Gold Dome) mosque, which uses real gold leafs, is seen on the outskirt of Jakarta, on December 12, 2019. - Affan leads a government team of some 1,000 mosque hunters who have spent years visiting every corner of the 5,000 kilometre (3,100 mile) long archipelago to answer one question: how many mosques are there in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation? (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) / TO GO WITH: Indonesia religion social culture, focus

A general view of Baiturrahman great mosque in Banda Aceh on January 8, 2020. - Affan leads a government team of some 1,000 mosque hunters who have spent years visiting every corner of the 5,000 kilometre (3,100 mile) long archipelago to answer one question: how many mosques are there in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation? (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP) / TO GO WITH: Indonesia religion social culture, focus

A general view of Keuchik Leumiek mosque in Banda Aceh on January 8, 2020. - Affan leads a government team of some 1,000 mosque hunters who have spent years visiting every corner of the 5,000 kilometre (3,100 mile) long archipelago to answer one question: how many mosques are there in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation? (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP) / TO GO WITH: Indonesia religion social culture, focus

I’m a Chinese man dating an Indonesian woman. We’re in love – but it’s not that easy

Jason Hung and his girlfriend met in 2018. While they are in love, they face struggles in their interracial and interfaith relationship. Hung is from Hong Kong and is Catholic and his partner is from Indonesia and is Muslim.

D1NHP9 A young couple walks in the water and holds hands after at the sunset on Lovina beach, Bali, Indonesia

MAPK1T Javanese married couple putting wedding ring in each other's finger

CRBX7J Korean wedding couple, arm in arm in front of a rice terrace in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia

How the sharia economy shapes democracy in Indonesia

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and Vice-President Ma'ruf Amin are seen after the announcement of the 2019 election results in Jakarta. Photo: EPA-EFE

Residents of Jakarta walk around one of the downtown's busy crowded sidewalk markets in the Indonesian capital city on August 5, 2011. The official Statistics Agency said on August 5 Indonesia's economy grew 6.49 percent year on year in the three months to June thanks to rising esports and investment and strong domestic consumption. AFP PHOTO / Bay ISMOYO / AFP PHOTO / BAY ISMOYO

epa07992107 Indonesia Vice President Ma'ruf Amin (R) speaks during the opening ceremony of sixth Indonesia Sharia Economic Festival (ISEF) in Jakarta, Indonesia, 12 November 2​019. The ISEF will from 12 November to 16 November 2019. EPA-EFE/BAGUS INDAHONO

Acehnese women wearing colorful costumes take part in the celebrations of the Islamic New Year in Banda Aceh, capital of Indonesia's conservative Islamic province of Aceh, on the Sumatra Island on October 14, 2015. Indonesia is the world's most populated Islamic country. AFP PHOTO / CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)

Indonesia’s largest Muslim group set for bigger role in Jokowi’s second term

Indonesia’s April 2019 election was a divisive one with a bitterly-fought campaign. Photo: AP

Indonesia's Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati listens to the opening remarks at the start of the 8th ASEAN Finance Ministers' Meetings on Friday, April 6, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

JAKARTA/INDONESIA, 12JUN11 - Yenny Zannuba A. C. Wahid, Director, Wahid Institute, Indonesia, captured during the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 12, 2011. Photo: World Economic Forum

(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 17, 2019, Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto gestures after a press conference during the general election in Jakarta. - Subianto on June 27, 2019, lost a bid to overturn his loss to incumbent Joko Widodo over claims that the race was rigged against him -- allegations that sparked deadly rioting in Jakarta. The country's constitutional court threw out the case lodged by ex-general Prabowo Subianto, saying he did not prove that he lost the April vote because of widespread cheating and voter fraud. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice-President Ma'ruf Amin. Photo: AP

How social media inspired Indonesia’s born-again ‘hijrah’ Muslim millennials

A Starbucks in Jakarta, Indonesia. The chain has been subjected to boycotts by Muslim groups in the past. Photo: EPA

Prabowo Subianto, presidential candidate, left, speaks while Sandiaga Uno, vice presidential candidate, listens, during a first presidential debate in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo pledged to intensify the fight against corruption through merit-based political appointments in the first presidential debate as his challenger Prabowo Subianto mooted higher pay for bureaucrats to tackle the menace seen as hindering the country's development. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

This photo taken on July 4, 2017 shows Indonesian Muslim women sitting outside a Starbucks cafe at a shopping mall in Jakarta. Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia were urged to boycott Starbucks on July 4 by major Islamic groups accusing the coffee chain of being pro-gay rights, as concerns grow over rising religious conservatism in both nations. / AFP PHOTO / Adek BERRY

epa07473656 Indonesian Presidential candidate Joko Widodo (L) talks to Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (R) on the stage during a debate among candidates in Jakarta, Indonesia, 30 March 2019. Indonesia is set to hold the presidential elections in April 2019. EPA-EFE/BAGUS INDAHONO

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) shakes hands with his vice-presidential running mate for the 2019 presidential election Islamic cleric Ma'ruf Amin while greeting supporters in Jakarta, Indonesia August 10, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

How moderate Islam in Indonesia counters the religious intolerance of Islamist extremists

Indonesian Muslim students show their support for victims of the mosque shootings in New Zealand. Photo: EPA-EFE/Bagus Indahono

Indonesian Muslims hold a rally in Surabaya, in East Java on March 22, 2019, to condemn the attacks on two mosque in New Zealand. - New Zealand reassured Muslims living in the country they would be "safe and secure" despite the deadly attacks on two mosques in Christchurch. (Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)

An Indonesian student displays a banner during an event to show solidarity with Muslims in New Zealand, outside a school in Surabaya on March 18, 2019. - New Zealand will tighten gun laws in the wake of its worst modern-day massacre, the government said on March 18, as it emerged the white supremacist accused of carrying out the killings at two mosques will represent himself in court. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto / AFP)

A portrait of Founder Islami.co, Savic Ali (left). Islami.co is a website dedicated to disseminating information and ideas that support the growth of a tolerant and peaceful societyPhoto: Agoes Rudianto[FEATURES 2019]

TOPSHOT - Farid Ahmed, a survivor of the twin mosque massacre, offers prayers inside the Al Noor mosque, one of the mosques where some 50 people were killed by a self-avowed white supremacist gunman on March 15, in Christchurch on April 5, 2019. - The man accused of shooting dead 50 Muslim worshippers in a Christchurch mosque sat impassively earlier on April 5 as a New Zealand judge ordered him to undergo tests to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)

This handout photo from the Surabaya local government (Pemerintah Kota Surabaya) taken on May 13, 2018 and received by AFP on May 14, 2018 shows firefighters trying to extinghuish a fire after a blast outside the Gereja Pantekosta Pusat Surabaya (Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church) in Surabaya. - A series of blasts, including at least one suicide bombing, struck churches in Indonesia on May 13, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens in the deadliest attack for years in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country. (Photo by Andy PINARIA / PEMERINTAH KOTA SURABAYA / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / PEMERINTAH KOTA SURABAYA / ANDY PINARIA" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Residents carry a placards during an anti-hoax campaign in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 03, 2019.Photo: Agoes Rudianto[FEATURES 2019]

Portrait of National Director of Gusdurian Network Indonesia, Alissa Wahid. Gusdurian working to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding, active citizenship, democracy and human rights.Photo: Agoes Rudianto[FEATURES 2019]

A man sees Zakir Naik's lecture sermon on Youtube in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 04, 2019. (Illustration). Zakir Naik is a preacher who is closely related to extremist views and intolerance to religious freedom.Photo: Agoes Rudianto[FEATURES 2019]

News

Asia

Southeast Asia


Since 2013, a team of 1,000 has been on a mission to keep a log of all the mosques across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands
But with new mosques going up all the time, the task is proving to be a Herculean one



Since 2013, a government team with 1,000 members has been on a mission to keep a log of all the mosques across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands.


Religion

Drones