Aceh dominates Idul Adha sermons<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Clerics called on Muslims throughout the country observing the
\nIslamic Day of Sacrifice on Friday to extend their sympathy to
\nvictims affected by the killer tsunamis that devastated Aceh and
\nNorth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
In their Idul Adha sermons, the preachers asked Muslim
\nworshipers to join prayers for those who perished in the Dec. 26
\ncalamity and to pray for the wellbeing of survivors living in
\ndesperate conditions.<\/p>\n
\"Let us pray to God that life for the tsunami survivors
\nswiftly be restored to normal and the victims have patience
\ndealing with the disaster,\" cleric Zainal Arifin said in his
\nsermon delivered before thousands of Muslims in Jember, East
\nJava.<\/p>\n
Scholar Nazaruddin Umar of Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State
\nUniversity (UIN) told thousands of worshipers at the Istiqlal
\nGrand Mosque, Central Jakarta, that perseverance and the human
\nspirit must prevail in the face of such utter destruction.<\/p>\n
\"We must to find the good in every disaster that befalls
\nmankind,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin said the tsunamis that devastated parts of Aceh and
\nNorth Sumatra and killed more than 166,000 people were a wake-up
\ncall to others in the country to make good on their past errors
\nand embark on righteous conduct.<\/p>\n
Vice President Jusuf Kalla was among those who joined the Idul
\nAdha prayers at Istiqlal. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
\ncelebrated the Islamic holiday in Banda Aceh, the Aceh capital
\ncity hardest hit by the tidal waves.<\/p>\n
This year Indonesian Muslims observed the Day of Sacrifice,
\nwhich marks the end of the annual haj pilgrimage to Mecca, on
\ndifferent dates.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the Islamic-oriented Justice Prosperous Party
\n(PKS) celebrated the holiday on Thursday based on the fact that
\nhaj pilgrims had gathered in Arafah, Mecca, to observe the
\nculmination of the ritual (wukuf) the day earlier. Muslims
\nusually observe Idul Adha one day after wukuf.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) secretary
\ngeneral Din Syamsuddin said that in the wake of the tsunami,
\nMuslims should renounce corruption and other vices widespread in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
As for the Acehnese living in poor conditions after the
\ncatastrophe, he asked them to be patient and keep hope.<\/p>\n
In Pekanbaru, Riau, a somber mood prevailed when thousands of
\nMuslims took to the street on the eve of Idul Adha to join a
\nsolemn march in sympathy for the victims.<\/p>\n
Unlike the celebrations in the previous years, when
\nfirecrackers were lit and drums played, Muslims there silently
\nchanted the name of God.<\/p>\n
Riau Governor Rusli Zainal, who saw off the march, asked
\nMuslims to act in positive ways for the tsunami victims.<\/p>\n
The large amount of donations for the disaster victims made by
\nMuslims has indirectly affected the slumping sales of sacrificial
\nanimals to be slaughtered after the Idul Adha prayer service.<\/p>\n
Traders in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said that for this
\nyear's Islamic feast, they could only sell a small number of
\ncattle and goats because many people were now short of money.<\/p>\n
\"During the current Idul Adha, I have only sold 100 goats and
\n15 cows, compared to 250 and 20 last year,\" a trader in Tanah
\nAbang was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-dominates-idul-adha-sermons-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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