Fasting while in economic hardship<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The fasting month of Ramadhan is here again and
\nMuslims are welcoming it with joy. Most Indonesians see the
\nMuslim holy month as a time when social conditions and solidarity
\nchange for the better.<\/p>\n
However, in general it depends on how you see it. To the
\naverage person, the coming of Ramadhan is marked by the onslaught
\nof old women from rural areas hitting Jakarta's streets to beg.
\nThey come here complete with \"tour operators\", who make the most
\nof the women's poverty to exploit urban citizens' sense of
\nsolidarity. Muslims are urged to show more solidarity especially
\nduring Ramadhan, so why not take advantage of people's
\nbenevolence?<\/p>\n
Many foreigners sincerely want to sympathize with the people
\nof this nation at this time of year and witness how they
\nimplement their religious duties under the dire economic
\nhardships they face.<\/p>\n
And goodness knows we need all the sympathy we can get since
\nthe world knows our country is on the brink of bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
Isn't it Indonesia that is burdened with the largest foreign
\ndebt the in world? We are so poor that we have shamelessly
\nexported the world's greatest number of female workers. It all
\nhappened because we let Soeharto, the most heartless tyrant in
\nthe world who was the second longest serving dictator after
\nCuba's Fidel Castro, rule us for more than three decades.<\/p>\n
When this smiling general stepped down in 1998, he left behind
\npolitical and economic chaos. Indonesia was dubbed the world's
\nthird most corrupt regime, and Soeharto's children and cronies
\nwere reported to be among Asia's most wealthiest people. And two
\nyears after he stepped down, people are still suffering from the
\ncalamity he created.<\/p>\n
Now how about our current President? If hearing is believing,
\nGus Dur is not corrupt, and during this holy month we should
\ntherefore pray to God Almighty that He will discourage him from
\nsampling the forbidden fruit. Also we should ask God to make him
\nstop producing confusing statements and forging strange
\nrelationships with convicts or suspects of corruption because our
\npeople have had enough of his inconceivable acts.<\/p>\n
I also think his fanatic defenders need to rest during
\nRamadhan so that they have time to repent for the sins they have
\ncommitted in defending the \"saint\". Islam discourages its
\nfollowers from profane talk, much less telling lies.<\/p>\n
Our grassroots people appear to be extremely patient, despite
\nall the chaos created by Soeharto, and they can still welcome
\nRamadhan with a sense of devotion. They are still happy to hear
\nthe air vibrate with the humming of prayers and the recitation to
\nglorify the name of Allah. In this holy month they feel as if
\nthey can see the color of the air they breath.<\/p>\n
By abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset, Muslims
\nare expected to feel the hunger of the poor, whose number in
\nIndonesia has sharply increased. But can the destitute people
\nfeel any more hungry since they have already done without for so
\nlong? This is what makes Indonesia -- like some African
\ncountries, perhaps -- very special.<\/p>\n
At least most of our poor can be grateful to the Almighty
\nbecause they can still fast much more peacefully than their
\nbrethren in the restive provinces of Aceh and Maluku, where they
\nlisten to Koran recitals amid the hissing sounds of bullets. Or
\nthan the former flamboyant prince of Soeharto's \"Kingdom of
\nCendana\" who is being hunted by law enforcers around the clock.<\/p>\n
Another show of solidarity in this holy month is the tradition
\nof some rich people -- and many are those who enjoyed high
\npositions in the old regime -- who open their houses to everyone
\nto break the fast. This is a positive sign of solidarity, but a
\nfriend of mine, knowing I'm well-versed in Islamic law, asked me,
\n\"Is it halal (allowed by Islamic law) to eat the food from the
\ntable of a kleptomaniac veteran?\"<\/p>\n
I said: \"How can you deem someone corrupt without any strong
\nevidence?\"<\/p>\n
He said the typical host of an open house always flaunts his
\nfortune, which everyone doubts he could have accumulate on his
\nsalary, not even in a 100 years. \"And mind you, our corrupt
\nofficials are professional artists who know the art of disguising
\ntheir mentality and how to make people accept that they are
\nextremely wealthy and not ask any bold questions\".<\/p>\n
The man then mentioned an acquaintance of his, a social worker
\nwho lives in a provincial capital. He runs an orphanage housing
\n120 orphans. One year during Ramadhan my friend saw him bending
\nover backwards to feed the poor children and provide them with
\nnew clothes for Idul Fitri, the post-fasting festivity,
\nforgetting his own children at home. On the last day of Ramadhan
\nthat year, this high-minded man burst into tears because he found
\nthat two orphans did not get new clothes because there were not
\nenough for everyone at the orphanage.<\/p>\n
-- Thayeb Ibnu Sabil<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fasting-while-in-economic-hardship-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }