JAKARTA – After declaring a joint campaign commitment with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Indonesia for Palestine,” on February 26, 2025, Dompet Dhuafa immediately took steps to strengthen global humanitarian diplomacy. In this case, Dompet Dhuafa officially released the Humanitarian Team for Palestine and 300 Dai Melintas Batas (Preachers Crossing Borders) in an event that took place at the Dompet Dhuafa Cultural Center, South Jakarta, Thursday (27/02/2025). This event is also part of a series of Ramadan programs by Dompet Dhuafa which aims to distribute humanitarian aid and strengthen the spread of Islam in various parts of the world.
The increasingly appalling condition of the Palestinian state due to ongoing aggression makes this Ramadan momentum the right time to strengthen humanitarian action. The prolonged blockade has caused a food and health crisis, as well as homelessness for millions of Palestinians. For this reason, Dompet Dhuafa is sending a humanitarian team to provide direct assistance to the affected communities.
In addition to sending a humanitarian team, Dompet Dhuafa has also dispatched 300 preachers to proselytize in 11 countries and the 3T (Tertinggal, Terdepan, dan Terluar) regions of Indonesia. The “Dakwah Melintas Batas” program aims to improve Islamic literacy and strengthen proselytizing to communities in areas that still have minimal access to Islamic education.
The release event was attended by various important figures, including the initiator, founder, and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dompet Dhuafa, Parni Hadi; the chairman of Dompet Dhuafa, Ahmad Juwaini, along with all his staff; the Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister, Muhammad Anis Matta; the Director of Zakat & Waqf Empowerment at the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, H. Waryono Abdul Ghafur; and representatives from the Indonesian Ulema Council and several related institutions.
In his remarks, Ahmad Juwaini emphasized that the presence of humanitarian teams in Palestine and preachers in various parts of the world is a concrete effort to spread kindness and support people in need. The dispatch of this humanitarian team is an effort by Dompet Dhuafa to maintain the trust of donors who entrust their funds and hopes through Dompet Dhuafa.
“Dompet Dhuafa is always committed to distributing aid to areas experiencing humanitarian crises, whether in Palestine or other countries. Sending preachers is also part of the effort to spread Islam peacefully and inclusively,” said Ahmad.
Ahmad continued, so far, Dompet Dhuafa has distributed aid to the Palestinian people through three schemes. First, of course, through the Indonesian government, secondly through humanitarian partners in Palestine, and thirdly by sending a humanitarian team.
Meanwhile, Parni Hadi said that the aid program that Palestine needs right now is in the education sector. Therefore, Dompet Dhuafa and the government want to start an education program, so that other countries can follow suit.
“We must support Palestine because of what is written in the preamble of the 1945 Constitution. Independence is the right of all nations. Therefore, colonization in the world must be abolished because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice. This is the same as Dompet Dhuafa’s anti-corruption proclamation declaration that happiness is the right of every human being, therefore poverty must be eliminated because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice,” he explained.
Parni also wants to encourage Dompet Dhuafa and the Indonesian government to establish a civil diplomacy and Islamic diplomacy movement on the international stage. This is in line with Anis’s hope that Dompet Dhuafa should become an international humanitarian agency, because there are many people in need in other countries. Sending humanitarian teams and Islamic preachers as ambassadors is an excellent program to achieve this.
Anis even emphasized that it is actually an order from the Qur’an. How Islam can be spread widely throughout the world is because of the sending of preachers to various parts of the world. This has also been done by the Prophet Muhammad since long ago.
The sending of a humanitarian team to Palestine is also not just material assistance, but also part of humanitarian diplomacy that shows the Indonesian nation’s concern for the suffering of the Palestinian people. This is also a step for Indonesia to realize its desire to become a world leader.
“Leading is giving,” said Anis. ‘So one of the instruments of diplomacy that we will use at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is humanitarian diplomacy. We are starting to coordinate all humanitarian agencies as a humanitarian diplomacy force,’ he continued.
Read also: Dompet Dhuafa Committed to Supporting the Campaign with ‘Indonesia for Palestine’
Anis also entrusted hope and faith in Dompet Dhuafa to be able to lead the joint campaign program “Indonesia for Palestine” as its secretariat.
The release of this team was also marked by a symbolic procession by the Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs together with the leaders of Dompet Dhuafa. The event then continued with a dialogue session with the theme “Humanitarian Response for Palestine and Dai Crossing Borders, Benefits Spread Widely” which presented several competent speakers in their fields.
In addition, this dialogue session also discussed various challenges and solutions in delivering aid to conflict-affected areas. The speakers revealed that in addition to logistical assistance, psychosocial support for affected residents is also very much needed. Therefore, Dompet Dhuafa has initiated various assistance programs to help the recovery of communities that have been traumatized by the prolonged conflict.
As part of the 1446 H Ramadan Program, Dompet Dhuafa also rolled out various other humanitarian initiatives, such as Honoring Orphans, Tomb Hygiene Awareness (SEKAR), Blessing Market, and Family-Friendly Homecoming Post. These programs are expected to provide widespread benefits to the Indonesian people and Muslim communities in various countries.
Read also: Dompet Dhuafa Consistently Supports Palestine, Distributing Aid to 141,834 Beneficiaries
The Ramadan program in Palestine is also part of Dompet Dhuafa’s commitment to ensure that the Palestinian people get their basic needs, especially in the holy month of Ramadan. The assistance sent includes food packages, health services, and other social programs that can help ease the burden on Palestinians in need.
With the release of this humanitarian and dai team, Dompet Dhuafa hopes to continue strengthening Muslim solidarity and building bridges of kindness between nations. This year’s Ramadan is an important momentum to further strengthen the spirit of caring and sharing with others. Community participation in supporting these various humanitarian programs is expected to increase, so that the benefits can be felt by more people around the world. Let’s join hands, join forces, with Dompet Dhuafa for Palestine via digital.dompetdhuafa.org/donasi/jagapalestina. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Riza Muthohar
Editor: Dhika