PB IKA PMII and LAZ Gerakin Call for Rain-Prayer Services Amid String of Disasters

PB IKA PMII and the Gerak Kita Indonesia zakat agency, LAZ Gerakin, have urged communities across Indonesia to hold Istisqa prayers amid a series of disasters affecting the country.

The call came as forest and land fires, earthquakes and floods struck different regions over the past year. Muhammad Nur Purnamasidi, secretary-general of PB IKA PMII, expressed concern about the effects on communities, particularly the fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra and the declining availability of clean water in parts of Kalimantan.

He also highlighted the smoke haze and its effect on schooling and public health. Purnamasidi said central and local governments should keep educational activities running while prioritizing the risk of acute respiratory infections caused by smoke exposure.

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The central and local governments must ensure that educational activities continue while prioritizing the handling of the risk of acute respiratory infections caused by smoke exposure.

LAZ Gerakin chief executive Sandi Suwardi Hasan called on residents in affected areas and elsewhere, including Jakarta, to take part in the prayer as a spiritual effort during the disasters. The organization also urged the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Nahdlatul Ulama central board and the Jakarta provincial government to help organize the prayers more widely.

The groups said the religious observance should not replace practical disaster measures. They argued that spiritual efforts and concrete responses could proceed together.

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We invite the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Nahdlatul Ulama central board, the Jakarta provincial government and other parties to consider and promote the broader implementation of Istisqa prayers.