The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) re-opened the selection of mosque imams from Indonesia to be placed in the United Arab Emirates. This selection is done virtually, August 25-27, 2021. 

"The Ministry of Home Affairs again carried out the selection of imam mosques to be assigned to the United Arab Emirates. Implementation virtually. We will attract more prospective imams from all over Indonesia," said Director General of Bimas Islam Kemenag, Kamaruddin Amin in Jakarta, in a statement obtained by Republika, Saturday (14/8).

The delivery of the mosque to the United Arab Emirates is said to be a strategic part of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The imams of this mosque are Indonesia's ambassadors in the United Arab Emirates.

He continued, the Indonesian imam delivery program contributed to the improvement of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, including improving Indonesia's image.

Director of Islamic Religious Information, Syamsul Bahri, added that the imam of the mosque from Indonesia was in demand because of the understanding / / ahlus sunnah wal jamaah / / . This is a plus in addition to the ability to read the Qur'an. 

"Indonesia has the largest number of Muslims in the world, has many Islamic educational institutions. Muslims are moderate, behave noblely, understand //ahlus sunnah wal jamaah// and the way of thinking wasathiyah (moderate)," said Shamsul. 

This character is said to be an important part in achieving the goal of Muslims as a bearer of affection for the universe.

During President Jokowi's visit to the UAE in 2020, Crown Prince Sheikh Zayed specifically asked 200 Imams of Indonesian mosques to be assigned there. Following up on the request, the government through the Ministry of Trade and UAE authorities conducted a selection.

"The selection conducted in 2020 by the Ministry of Home Affairs and continued in 2021 by the Authority of the United Arab Emirates successfully elected 28 imams. However, one person died and another person resigned. So there are 26 imams who are ready to be sent to the United Arab Emirates," he continued.

For this year, registration is open on August 13-22, 2021 and selection will be conducted online on August 25-27, 2021. This selection is targeted to net 74 imams so that by 2021 there are 100 imams who are ready to be sent to the United Arab Emirates.

"The first selection by the Ministry of Home Affairs involving Qur'anic experts, the second selection by the UAE Authority due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we carried out virtually. Registration through the website bimasIslam.kemenag.go.id the Selection menu of Prospective Imams of Mosques, "said Syamsul.