IPB University Students Make Hijrah-ID Application to Help Mualaf Hijrah
Easing mualafs (Muslim converts) to ‘hijrah’, IPB University students made Hijrah-ID. Hijrah-ID is an Android-based application which can be downloaded freely from Google Playstore. This application was made for Student Creativity Program in Karsa Cipta (PKM-KC). They are students from Computer Science Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Fakhoor Izaaz Wildanrahman, Chamdan Laylan Abdul Baaqiy and Wardiman Perdian, advised by Firman Ardiansyah, SKom, MSi.
Hijrah-ID is addressed for mualafs to help learn and understand Islam. Mualafs can use features included in Hijrah-ID, which are Islam articles, consultation,mualaf study info, and goals consisting of mualaf study materials.
The team leader, Fakhoor Izaaz Wildhanrahman said that the creation of Hijrah-ID is motivated by the rise of mualafs in Indonesia as much as 14.6 percent in 2017. As an attempt to respond to the increasing mualafs, an effective learning and assistance process is needed, so the purpose of the religion can be fulfilled wholly. In addition to that, mualafs still face challenges and obstacles, for example, some mualafs still find it hard to adapt or socialize in Muslim community.
Besides the problems faced by mualafs, the challenges also exist in the guidance process, such as the lack of human resource, institutions, and unstructured materials. The biggest problem in Indonesian mualafs is in the guidance. As quoted from online NU page, guidance for mualafs is still not structured well. There is no clear guidance about what kind of lessons should be given to mualafs.
An optimal mualaf guidance is not an easy matter because of the increasing number of mualafs each year. Because of that, a good strategy and method is needed through an effective communication, because of the limited time and resource from the facilitator. “The application which really help mualafs in terms of learning hasn’t been made yet. Because of that, our team offers a learning application made especially for mualafs,” said Fakhoor.
Fakhoor hopes that Hijrah-ID could help mualafs in learning Islam and help making the process of mualaf assistance effective and innovative. Hijrah-ID has a structured learning materials based on Mualaf Assistance Modul from Baznas Mualaf Center and act as an application-based consultation medium for Indonesian mualafs. This concept has a purpose to help mualafs to get guidance and lessons to learn about Islam and consult to the facilitators through the application. (Ard)
