Beggars, who usually often expect alms from the motorists on the roadside, is rarely seen again. To avoid raid operation, they are now turning to the mosques as a place to earn a living. One of those mosques is Syarif Hidayatullah Mosque on the intersection of Jl. Wijaya 1 and Jl. Iskandarsyah, South Jakarta, especially during Friday Prayer.
“Dozens of beggars are usually coming to the mosque during Friday prayer. Most of them is adult and toddler,” said Coordinator of Syarif Hidayatullah Mosque, Muhammad (45), Saturday (2/16).
According to Muhammad, the mosque staffs cannot prohibit or evict beggars in the mosque area. However they remain increasing safeguards to prevent unwanted things. “This is a worship place, so we cannot evict them. We can just increase safeguards in order to prevent unwanted things, like theft,” he stated.
Firmansyah (32), one of the worshipers at the mosque, admitted the beggars are usually coming before Friday prayer and starting asking alms to the worshipers after prayers finished. “I was a bit surprised, because of its location near South Jakarta Mayor office. People here also feell uncomfortable when getting out of the mosque,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Head of Social Rehabilitation Section for South Jakarta Social Department, Miftahul Huda, promised to net those beggars in Syarif Hidayatullah Mosque. “Tomorrow is Friday, right?” he wrote in a text message.
Besides the mosque, the number of beggars, street musicians, and bums are also often operating around the traffic light intersection on Jl. Panglima Polim, Jl. Fatmawati Raya, and around Blok M. They expect alms on motorists without worrying about their safety.