english.jpnn.com, LONDON - The Indonesia Islamic Center (IIC) in London, which is building the first Indonesian mosque in the United Kingdom, has auctioned a Brompton bike to raise construction capital.
The winner of the auction will be invited to a tour of the Brompton factory as a special guest of the Brompton CEO and provided free lodging at the Indonesian Ambassador's official residence in London.
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The event was held in collaboration with the humanitarian aid organization Human Initiative (HI) on Sunday (27/02) night.
The launch of the auction was held online and was attended by former Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla, Istiqlal Grand Mosque imam Nassarudin Umar, Indonesian Ambassador to the UK Desra Percaya, and Brompton CEO Will Butler-Adams.
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Also present at the event were House Deputy Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, national entrepreneur Garibaldi Thohir who made a donation of Rp 4 billion in the event, Brompton Owners Group Indonesia (BOGI) community founder Baron Martanegara, and Bike to Work community chairman Fahmi Saimina.
A Brompton bike was made specifically for IIC London, and it was offered at an opening price of Rp 100 million.
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"This is a special bike and there is only one in the world," said Desra, who initiated the Brompton auction.
Butler-Adams said he promised to invite the winner of the auction to be his special guest at the Brompton bicycle factory.
"I will invite the winning bidder to be my guest and be able to tour the Brompton bicycle factory in London," said Butler-Adams.
Desra further talked about his meeting with the Brompton CEO.
"I met Will and conveyed the plan to buy a special Brompton bicycle to be auctioned [...], but Will's response was completely unexpected,” said Desra.
According to Desra, Butler-Adams refused to sell and spontaneously said: "I will make a special bicycle with my signature and I will donate it to fundraising for the Indonesian mosque."
"A few months later, this red and white bicycle came and I couldn't believe it. Not only that, Will said something like this: 'I believe Islam needs to be represented positively in the UK and in the world and while Indonesia is a prime example of democracy, Islam can go hand in hand.' It's extraordinary,” said Desra.
Butler-Adams said he was impressed by the warmth and generosity of the Indonesian people when he visited Jakarta and toured at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Jakarta.
"Support for Indonesian mosques is about showing the face of Indonesia to the UK. It's about celebrating the existence of the Indonesian community in the UK and London and these developments are all really great, and I'm very happy to support them," he said.
HI President Tomy Hendrajati stated that as a humanitarian agency based in Indonesia, his initiative was honored to be involved in the construction of an Indonesian mosque in England, as well as in the Brompton auction.
"We will continue to collaborate on humanitarian work and synergize with all elements, be it the government, community leaders, companies, institutions, and various communities such as BOGI and Bike to Work," said Tomy.
BOGI's Baron stated that his community was enthusiastic about the Brompton auction.
"BOGI has held several charity events, but this is really a very special Brompton auction," said the founder of the bicycle community, which has tens of thousands of members throughout Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Fahmi from Bike to Work, a community that has been promoting cycling culture in Indonesia for 17 years, said it was an honor to get involved in the event, saying that Brompton gave them a big inspiration.
Previously, the IIC committee for mosque construction has raised funding through several channels, including a waqf commitment of Rp 5 billion. The committee also raised £900,000 by selling the old IIC building.
The committee will transform a two-story former church building located in the Neasden area, northwest London, into a mosque. It can accommodate up to hundreds of worshipers. (mcr20/jpnn)