More and more Dayak Meratus residents embrace Islam

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Loksado Sub-District, South Hulu Sungai District, Mahydi Nuri, and MUI Chairmain of Paramasan Sub-district in Banjar Syahwani, SH, acknowldged more and more Dayak residents in Meratus Mountains embraced Islam lately.

"Alhamdulillah, there are more and more inland Dayaks who get guidance and embrace Islam," they both said during the Islamic New Year commemoration which was centered in Paramasan Bawah Village, Banjar District, South Kalimantan, Thursday (12/10).

In the event, various contests held for converts including the call to prayer (adzan), recitation of the shahada and its meaning, as well as a race for reasons to convert to Islam.

The peak of the event was attended by the Dangsanak foundation, chaired by Prof. Akhmad Fauzi Asri, MA. The foundation helped foster the converts in the region. It was also attended by the South Kalimantan National Alms Agency (Baznas).

According to the MUI Loksado Chairman, the inland residents, who previously adhered to the Kahaharingan beliefs, interested to convert to Islam because of many similar activities.

Some of it, Mahyudi Nuri told, related to activities that gather people, it matched their habits of aruhan which also carried out by gathering many rural people.

For the guiding of the inland residents, MUI Loksado deployed 16 dai (preachers) who went to one and another village.

MUI Paramasan Bawah Chairman Syahwani said until last years 156 people had converted to Islam, and many more would follow.

Therefore, in the village of Paramasan Bawah a routine recitation is held every week, which is attended by hundreds of people and most of them were converts.

Actually, Syahwani told, the region now is still dominantly inhabited by people with other belief, such as Kaharingan, Buddhist, and Christian. In comparison, the Muslim residents are only a small number to compare with residents of other religions.