People return to Baiturrahman<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
As Muslim washed his face before Friday prayers at Baiturrahman
\nGrand Mosque in Banda Aceh, the first service at the mosque since
\nthe region was by tsunamis, he could not hold back his tears.<\/p>\n
The 50-year-old had walked 24 kilometers from his village to
\nthe mosque -- the pride of Acehnese Muslims -- to attend Friday
\nprayers.<\/p>\n
\"All of the mosques in our village were flattened to the
\nground,\" the man said.<\/p>\n
Muslim's home in Leupung district, Aceh Besar, is gone and all
\nthe members of his immediate family with it. He was spared as, on
\nDec. 26, the day of the disaster, he had been driving a truck to
\nSouth Aceh.<\/p>\n
When he returned, his village was gone. His wife, children and
\ngrandchildren, grandmother and mother and father-in-law were all
\nmissing. All he found were the rotting corpses of people he did
\nnot know. He buried them and went to Banda Aceh for Friday
\nprayers.<\/p>\n
\"Twelve of my family members are gone,\" sobbed the man.<\/p>\n
All he wanted to do was to pray in the mosque that God would
\nease his suffering. \"I'll pray that God opens up the heavens to
\nmy family and forgives them for their sins,\" Muslim said.<\/p>\n
The service at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque was the first since
\nthe disaster, when it had been filled with corpses and 15-
\ncentimeter-deep mud. After the service, the people continued with
\na mass prayer for those who had been killed in the disaster.<\/p>\n
Local authorities, with the help of military officers, have
\nbeen working for the last three days to clean up the mosque, as
\nwell as to repaint it.<\/p>\n
\"Once the mosque is clean, Aceh will shine again,\" said Umar,
\na 23-year-old volunteer for the clean-up.<\/p>\n
The prayers were led by secretary-general of the Indonesian
\nCouncil of Ulema Din Syamsudin but not many people showed up as
\nit used to.<\/p>\n
\"Half of Banda Aceh's people are dead now,\" Umar said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-return-to-baiturrahman-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }