Idul Adha celebrated nationwide<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Millions of Moslems here celebrated the Islamic
\nDay of Sacrifice yesterday with solemn prayers in mosques and in
\nfields, and with the slaughtering and distributing of livestock
\nto the poor.<\/p>\n
From almost every mosque in many parts of the country, the
\nsound of bedug gongs and the chant of Allahu Akbar (God is Great)
\nechoed since Tuesday afternoon and ceased only minutes before the
\nIdul Adha, or Sacrifice Day, prayers began.<\/p>\n
The majority of Moslems started the ritual on Monday with the
\nrecommended two-day fasting and the selling and buying of
\nlivestock. In market places, women were seen buying ketupat --
\nrhombus shaped packets of plaited young coconut leaves, in which
\nthey made rice cakes.<\/p>\n
The rice cakes were later eaten with curries made with the
\ndistributed meat.<\/p>\n
Festivities marked some of yesterday's activities. In various
\ncorners of Jakarta and Depok, for instance, small groups of
\npeople gathered to watch skilled butchers slaughtering the
\nsacrificial animals.<\/p>\n
Orphans and other people considered mustahiq -- rightful
\nrecipients -- lined up to receive several kilograms of meat each.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto and Vice President Try Sutrisno said their
\nIdul Adha prayers in the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, along with tens
\nof thousands of Jakartan Moslems. K.H. Abdul Aziez Muslim, an
\nulema from Bogor, led the prayer.<\/p>\n
The congregation, which also consisted of a number of top
\ngovernment officials and foreign dignitaries, heard the sermon
\ngiven by Effendi Zarkasi, a member of BP7, a body in charge of
\ndisseminating state ideology Pancasila.<\/p>\n
Afterward, President Soeharto presented his family's offering,
\na cow weighing 703 kilograms, to the ad interim Minister of
\nReligious Affairs Saadillah Mursyid. Vice President Try Sutrisno
\ngave his offering, a 605 kilogram cow, to the Istiqlal Mosque's
\nofficial, Aswasmarno.<\/p>\n
The two cows were included in a number of livestock
\nslaughtered and distributed by the mosque's leaders.<\/p>\n
Two messages dominated the sermons in many mosques yesterday:
\nthe willingness of Moslems to surrender a portion of their wealth
\nto redress social gaps, and the process of haj pilgrimage which
\nreached its peak in Mecca yesterday.<\/p>\n
In Istiqlal, Effendi Zarkasi told the congregation that the
\nwillingness to do without, coming simultaneously from a great
\nnumber of people, may create so great an impact that a nation
\ncould reach its glory.<\/p>\n
Indonesia won its independence in 1945 because people were
\nwilling to sacrifice even their lives, he said. \"There is no way
\nthat the great task of development can be completed without unity
\nand togetherness, and the willingness to make sacrifices,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In the Al Azhar Grand Mosque, preacher Din Syamsuddin told a
\ncongregation of about eight thousand people that the potential of
\nMoslem communities never becomes reality due to the communities'
\nown shortcomings.<\/p>\n
Weaknesses<\/p>\n
\"The weaknesses of Moslems are many, ranging from the lack of
\nsocial, educational, economical to political infrastructure,\" he
\nsaid. \"Many Moslems are still living in abject poverty, have low-
\nquality education, and are unable to compete economically with
\nother groups in society.\"<\/p>\n
Preacher H. Anjar told the congregation in the Cut Mutiah
\nMosque that Moslems should divert conflicts and strengthen the
\nfeeling of brotherhood among them.<\/p>\n
\"Islam is a religion of peace...don't create an image that
\nIslam likes to fight or terrorize people,\" he was quoted by the
\nAntara news agency as saying.<\/p>\n
Preacher Anwar Abbas told Moslems praying in the compound of
\nthe Golkar office that too many people worship the thought of
\nmaterial wealth. \"These people love many other things more than
\nthey love Allah,\" he told the congregation which included Golkar
\nchairman Harmoko.<\/p>\n
The political grouping yesterday donated 75 head of livestock
\nto be slaughtered and distributed to people living nearby.<\/p>\n
In the Armed Forces (ABRI) headquarters, H.Z. Arifin Nurdin
\nsaid in his sermon that Moslems should emulate Prophet Abraham in
\nhis willingness to sacrifice everything in order to seek God's
\nblessing.<\/p>\n
\"Without sacrifice and trials, our experiences are not yet
\ncomplete..our faith has to be put to the test,\" he told some
\n5,000 people.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening, ad interim Minister of Religious Affairs
\nSaadillah Mursyid said in a speech greeting the holy day that
\nSacrifice Day, which originated from Abraham's willingness to
\nsacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail, and became a part of the haj
\nritual, teaches Moslems the value of equality. (swe)<\/p>",
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