Pak Ibrahim has reinvented himself in a most meaningful manner. But friends have not been totally surprised at this because he remained true to his passion — communication.
From a teacher to a broadcast journalist to a press secretary to two ministers whom he served for 15 years, Pak Ibrahim is now chairman of one of the biggest and most popular mosques in the country.
Pak Ibrahim (full name Datuk Ibrahim Thambychik), is chairman of the Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq Mosque , located right in the heart of cosmopolitan Bangsar. For many years, Muslim residents and those working in the area would converge on this mosque for their Friday prayers. When the Tenaga Nasional surau received the go-ahead to conduct Friday prayers in its vicinity, that helped to ease the crush at the overcrowded Bangsar mosque to a certain extent.
On Feb 4, the mosque, for the first time ever, held a Chinese New Year gathering. It was greeted with raised eyebrows and many questions.
The event was called Program Ramah Mesra Tahun Baru Cina 2017. His confidence was high because Pak Ibrahim roped in the Bangsar Baru Residents Association and the Muslim Converts Affairs Association, both with strengths of their own.
A couple more associations joined to help out while the National Islamic Development Department gave good support as well.
But let’s hear Pak Ibrahim’s story: “The mosque committee wants to get closer to the community. We’ve been engaging the Muslim community through various means. The daily prayers give us a good opportunity to interact with those who come to do their prayers with us. But we also need to get close to the other communities in the area.
“After many discussions, we decided to have a gathering after Chinese New Year. Many people wanted to enjoy the long break, so we did our gathering after most people had returned to Bangsar. We are very happy and felt very encouraged with the big turnout. People from various communities and backgrounds dropped by to get acquainted with this 35-year-old mosque.
“The gathering turned out better than we had expected. It was a real dialogue. We found it to be very meaningful because this was the first Chinese New Year gathering we organised and attended by people from various ethnic communities.
“I was asked why the gathering was held at a mosque instead of at a restaurant or at a community hall. The answer is simple. The mosque is not just a place of worship. It is also a place for the pursuit of knowledge, interaction and a venue to plan and execute social and economic endeavours.”
What Pak Ibrahim and his committee members did should be emulated by other mosques. Too often mosques confine themselves to Muslims only and this has prevented others from getting close to them.
Pak Ibrahim is confident that there will be more such gatherings in the future. “Give us three or four years, this gathering will be bigger, InsyaAllah!” The success of the Chinese New Year gathering has given the mosque administrators a most timely boost in their efforts to promote greater unity and harmony in Bangsar.
Bangsar is a happening area. It has everything, from restaurants to super markets to convenience stores to pubs and 24-hour eateries. What began as a small middle-class residential enclave has grown bigger and is now regarded as one of the prime addresses in the city.
Kudos to Pak Ibrahim and his committee members! Those who attended were between 30 and 60 years old, a really good start. There were doctors, lawyers, architects, businessmen, traders, among ordinary folk. It wasn’t a male gathering only, mind you. There was a sizeable number of female visitors too, which means that the organisers had managed to engage a wider section of the local community.
Pak Ibrahim was quick to acknowledge that the involvement of the residents’ association and others had contributed to the success. It also showed why good networking is essential nowadays in whatever pursuits. Let us wish Pak Ibrahim and his mosque committee well and give them the support they deserve. Of course the mosque must stay firm to its original objectives, but widening it to nurture good relations with people from other faiths will only add value to this House of Allah.
If you want to take your mosque to the present, go see Pak Ibrahim. He’ll be happy to help.
Ahmad A Talib is the chairman of Yayasan Salam Malaysia. He can be reached via Twitter: @aatpahitmanis