Evicted families celebrate low-key Idul Fitri<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hundreds of evicted families in the capital celebrated Idul Fitri
\non Tuesday in a very modest way as most of them only hung around
\ntheir makeshift tents or stayed on board their boats.<\/p>\n
Around 200 fishing families, who had been evicted from their
\nstilt houses on the banks of the Muara Angke River, North
\nJakarta, said their Idul Fitri prayers at a nearby mosque and
\nvisited each other to ask for forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Islam teaches Muslims to forgive each other, especially during
\nIdul Fitri, which marks the end of the Ramadhan fasting month, in
\norder to ease anger, thereby preventing Muslims from sinning.<\/p>\n
The evictees later enjoyed ketupat sayur (steamed rice wrapped
\nin coconut leaves and served with vegetables cooked in coconut
\nmilk, plus other side dishes), donated by concerned individuals
\nand institutions.<\/p>\n
Heavy rain on the eve of Idul Fitri worsened the fishermen's
\nsituation as the area had been inundated to a depth of around 10
\ncentimeters with rainwater and seawater from a high tide.<\/p>\n
Syarifudin, one of the evicted fishermen, said that this
\nyear's Idul Fitri was the hardest ever for their families.<\/p>\n
"Previously, we could take our families to visit our relatives
\nor go to recreation sites," he said. "On top of that, we could
\nperform all the religious obligations, particularly fasting, with
\nan inner sense of peace."<\/p>\n
"But the city administration has taken that peace away from
\nus," he added.<\/p>\n
Syarifudin, a father of four, responded to a call from the
\ncleric in the sermon to forgive those who had evicted them.<\/p>\n
"I know that we must forgive each other," he said. "But it's
\nstill hard for me to forgive those who evicted us."<\/p>\n
A modest Idul Fitri celebration was also participated in by
\naround 70 evicted families from Cengkareng Timur, Tanjung Duren
\nSelatan and Jembatan Besi, all in West Jakarta. They had been
\ntaking shelter at the compound of the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights (Komnas HAM) and held Idul Fitri prayers in the
\nfront yard of the commission's offices.<\/p>\n
"After prayers we asked each other for forgiveness and many of
\nus cried and hugged each other because this year is definitely
\nthe saddest Idul Fitri we have ever experienced," said Asep, an
\nevicted victim from Cengkareng Timur, who later spent the whole
\nday at the Komnas HAM office.<\/p>\n
Asep said that some children still had the chance to enjoy new
\nclothes for the celebration, thanks to concerned people who had
\ndonated clothes.<\/p>\n
"Alhamdullilah (praise the Lord), there were still some
\nconcerned individuals who also gave us money so we could cook
\nketupat daging for all of us here," he said.<\/p>\n
Some Christian families, who had also been evicted and took
\nrefuge at the commission office, also listened to the Idul Fitri
\nsermon and celebrated the day with other Muslim families.<\/p>\n
However, just like evicted fishermen in Muara Angke, the
\nevictees from West Jakarta municipality said that they still
\ncould not forgive the officers who had evicted them from their
\nhomes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/evicted-families-celebrate-low-key-idul-fitri-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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