Rebuilding Of Surau In Indonesia's Banda Aceh A Reflection Of Malaysians' Sincere Generosity

From Kamaliza Kamaruddin BANDA ACEH (Aceh, Indonesia), June 3 (Bernama) -- Residents of Kampung Gurah in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, are grateful to Malaysians for financing the reconstruction of the surau in the village which was destroyed by the tsunami on Dec 24, 2004. Village representative Seriana Rosli, 33,said they required IDR400 million (RM128,304) to fund the building of the mosque, and so far had gathered IDR 200 million, mainly contributed by tourists from Malaysia. "Every time they come to this village, Malaysian tourists do not hesitate in giving contributions, and together pray, that this surau can be quickly built. "What's most special is the site for the construction of the surau is an endowment (wakaf) from a benevolent millionaire from Kedah. "However, the millionaire did not allow us to give his or her name, or the value of the surau's wakaf land. The person is very secretive and considers the endowment of the land as a 'duty’ of helping the tsunami victims in Aceh," she said. Seriana was met by reporters during the Terengganu media delegation's religious tour to Aceh, recently. Organised by the Ajil assemblyman's office, the tour aimed to review the progress of rebuilding Aceh after the tsunami, and foster a better relationship between the people in Terengganu and Aceh. Located about three kilometres from the beach, the village which once housed 700 people, has hundreds of tales of grief, as only 25 residents survived the horrific tragedy. Seriana said various miracles also occurred during the incident, which proved God's power. "Imagine how a dome weighing 80 tonnes could reach our village, when it was originally located 2.5 kilometres away at Kampung Lam Teungoh. Both villages are also separated by tall mountains. That is the power of God for us to reflect on," she said. Seriana, who kept a calm demeanor throughout her narration of the unfortunate events said, the villagers then decided to build the new surau at the site where the dome was found. "It's like a memorial for us to remember the tsunami tragedy in our village. The dome of the mosque was like a 'lifeboat' for many tsunami victims, as they climbed into it for cover. "There were also many copies of the Quran which were found intact, and we have kept them in the adjacent gallery," she said, referring to a pondok built next to where the dome of the mosque was found. Seriana said the villagers had also agreed to name the surau, 'Surau Kubah' (Dome Surau). The structure is currently 40 per cent complete. Recalling the tsunami tragedy, Seriana said she and her husband had gone to a nearby town to buy supplies for their baby during the time, and upon returning to the village, they were shocked to see the destruction rate and large number of fatalities. "There was a 'pesantren' (pondok school) at the end of the village, located only 10 feet from the hill. The magnitude of the tsunami was such that only four of 200 students survived. "Even the best swimming skills would not have helped at the time, as the victims were caught in the debris. However, the villagers remain thankful to have found a baby boy atop a fridge at the foot of the hill. He has now already become a tahfiz student (memorising the Quran)," she said. Meanwhile, Terengganu Communications and Multimedia & Special Duties Committee chairman Ghazali Taib said the visit by the Terengganu media personnel had given further encouragement to the villagers to continue building the surau. "The brotherhood and friendship between Malaysia and Indonesia is only separated by an ocean. As brothers and sisters from the same religion, the sincere contributions of Malaysians will foster closer ties between the people of both countries. "I believe that the surau will one day be fully built, and with the attitude of helping and God willing this visit (by media personnel) will be a platform for us to continue to spread the teachings of Islam, and together, continue to contribute time, energy, ideas and financial resources for the continuos development of Aceh," he said. -- BERNAMA