Minister Urges NU Members To Donate Holy Quran To Rohingya

Barru, South Sulawesi (Antara Bali) - Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa urged the members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, to donate the Holy Quran to some 1.7 thousand Rohingya refugees currently accommodated in four shelters in Aceh.

"It is a token of solidarity from the NU Muslims to our brothers and sisters, the Rohingya refugees," the minister noted while speaking in a celebration of the NU Muslimats (women's wing's) 69th anniversary.

The celebration was attended by South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Barru District Head Andi Idris Syukur, among others.

The audience donated money worth Rp15.5 million to buy copies of the holy Quran for the Rohingya asylum seekers.

A total of 1,759 Rohingya refugees are currently being provided temporary shelter, of which 564 people are in Lhokseumawe City, 672 are in Langsa City, 476 in East Aceh, and 47 in Aceh Tamiang.

Earlier, the Ministry of Social Affairs expressed readiness to take care of the orphaned children of the Rohingya refugees.

"With regard to the Rohingya refugees, the social affairs ministry has identified the orphaned children," Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa remarked recently.

The identification process is necessary, as the children are in need of psychosocial recovery, Parawansa noted.

"I asked the children, where are their parents, grandparents, or uncle? Were they dead? I always check their extended family," she explained.

Related to the number of orphaned children, Khofifah pointed out that some of the boarding schools are ready to accommodate them.

"However, we have the children's social protection home (RBSA). It is a safe house for the children," she stated.

In addition, Parawansa highlighted various refugee-related issues that need to be solved such as family reunification and resettlement, among others.

In the meantime, the followers of Buddhism in Aceh held a fundraiser to help the Rohingya Muslim refugees of Myanmar who have been given shelter in Indonesia's westernmost province.

"This is a form of humanitarian aid from the Buddhists in Aceh to alleviate the problems being faced by Rohingya immigrants," Counselor of the Buddhist Community of the Aceh Religious Affairs Office Wisamada noted recently. (WDY)