Reborn as (hopefully) better Muslims<\/p>\n
Ahmad Najib Burhani, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Wishes of Selamat Lebaran, minal aidin wal faizin! are heard
\neverywhere on Idul Fitri. On Idul Fitri Eve, people gather in
\nthe mosques for takbir prayers (glorification of God) until
\nmidnight. In the streets, the sound of the bedug drums and the
\nchanting of Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar is heard from the mosques
\nall through the night. It is a symbol of happiness at the end of
\nthe fasting.<\/p>\n
Idul Fitri is a celebration of the end of the fasting month.
\nIn a very simplified sense, people say that fasting is abstaining
\nfrom food, drink, etc. But, in fact, it is more difficult to
\nrefrain from what the mouth produces than from what the mouth
\nconsumes.<\/p>\n
Saying "No" to a slice of cake is easier than, for instance,
\ncontrolling our temper. In prophetic tradition, Muslims are
\nprohibited from hurting others, both non-Muslims and Muslims.
\nRamadhan is a time for reflection and disengagement, a time of
\nworship and devotion to God, self-discipline, austerity and
\ngiving alms. It is also a time for reflection, purifying one's
\nbehavior, and doing good deeds. We should also contemplate about
\nour status as a Muslim. We should ask ourselves, "How deep is my
\nfaith in Islam and my knowledge about Islam? How great is my
\nreverence for it? To what extent and in what form is my
\nsubmission to it? Am I accepting the right understandings or
\nteachings of Islam?"<\/p>\n
Fasting during Ramadhan is a calendrical rite for Muslims. It
\nis intended as a process of social transformation or as a
\ncatharsis.<\/p>\n
In Ramadhan, Muslims find themselves in a condition of
\nseparation from their previous state or situation. After fasting,
\nthey are reborn into society in a transformed state or situation.<\/p>\n
In their daily lives, Muslims live in a structured fashion.
\nThey eat, drink, work, and wake up in a regular or customary way.
\nPerhaps, they eat three times a day, wake up at 4 or 5 o'clock in
\nthe morning, and work from 8 am until 4 pm. In Ramadhan, Muslims
\nlive in an anti-structured world. They live outside the normal
\nstructures of society.<\/p>\n
After Ramadhan, they will return once more to the structure but in
\ndifferent way. What is the intention of this anti-structural
\nlife? Just like an initiation process, the anti-structural life
\nis a stage of change in our lives from our past form to a new
\nform.<\/p>\n
After the fasting days or the anti-structured period are over,
\nthere is Idul Fitri or -- as it called in Indonesia -- Lebaran.
\nIt is a religious feast on the first day of the next month when
\nMuslims formally break their fast. Riyoyo -- as it is called in Java
\n-- is a day of victories for those who have fasted during
\nRamadhan, so Muslims celebrate it.<\/p>\n
The meaning of Idul Fitri goes back to the word fithrah.
\nFithrah is a natural tendency. Therefore, Idul Fitri is a kind of
\nrebirth in a new life, a new Muslim. As a symbol of starting a
\nnew life, people wear new clothes, and those who can afford it
\nrepaint their houses and brighten up their living rooms with
\nflowers and new furniture.<\/p>\n
As a way of preserving a continuous tradition, celebrating a
\nnew life in Idul Fitri with symbolic manifestations such as new
\nclothes -- and performing sungkem (kneeling to show respect) in
\nmany traditional Javanese families-- might be important. However,
\nis that symbolic manifestation really portraying the process of
\ntransforming our lives from the old model (old structure) to the
\nnew model (new structure)? Do we truly discard our bad habits? Do
\nwe become aware of some bad aspect of our religiosity before
\nRamadhan and then change it after the holy month?<\/p>\n
Our religious life is often colored by sad events and even
\ncatastrophes. To mention some unfortunate aspects connected with
\nreligion that occurred before Ramadhan, there was the second Bali
\nbombings and the issue of Islamic terrorism, the attack on the
\nMubarok campus -- belonging to the Indonesian Ahmadiyah
\nCongregation (JAI) -- in Bogor by a swarm of brutes calling
\nthemselves Indonesian Muslim Solidarity (GUII), controversy over
\n11 MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council) edicts, the issue of the
\nexpulsion of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) from Utan Kayu, East
\nJava, the sealing of some places used for Christian worship in
\nGarut, and the attacks by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) on
\nsome cafes and churches in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Our expression of Islamic tradition and civilization also
\nappeared in two contrasting and troubling ways; crises of
\nidentity and acute social frustration. Some Muslims often promote
\napologetic views such as Islam has liberated women, was
\ncompatible with and even created democracy, endorsed pluralism,
\nprotected human rights, and guaranteed social security.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some others project their feelings of powerless,
\nalienation and defeat not by claiming Western civilization as
\ntheir own, but, quoting from Khaled Abou El Fadl's statement, by
\ndefining "Islam as the exact antithesis of the West, under the
\nguise of reclaiming the true and real Islam." Terrorism is an
\nexpression from those who feel powerless, aggrieved and desperate
\nto undermine the superpower.<\/p>\n
With Ramadhan and Lebaran, we hope that we will be reborn again
\nwith a new identity, as new Muslims. Finally, Lebaran is all
\nabout giving, forgiving, charity, feasts, and, above all,
\nstarting a new life! Happy Idul Fitri 1426 H. May the spirit of
\nforgiveness and wishing each other well always remain our hearts.<\/p>\n
The writer is a researcher with the Research Centre for
\nSociety and Culture (PMB) and the Indonesian Institute of
\nSciences (LIPI), and an activist in Pemuda Muhammadiyah. He can
\nbe reached at najib27@yahoo.com.<\/p>",
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