SE Asian Muslims mark Ramadhan with religious tolerance<\/p>\n
Eileen Ng, Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
The strident rhetoric at a recent Islamic summit in Kuala Lumpur
\nwill give way to multiracial tolerance and relative calm when
\nSoutheast Asia's more than 200 million Muslims mark the Islamic
\nholy month of Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
Muslims shun food, drink, tobacco, sex and impure thoughts
\nduring Ramadhan, which is expected to start around Oct. 27
\ndepending on the sighting of the moon by authorities in each
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The dawn-to-dusk fasting month is traditionally a time of
\nheightened religious fervor, where sentiments of Islamic
\nbrotherhood and solidarity are emphasized in sermons and nightly
\ngatherings in mosques across the region.<\/p>\n
But in Southeast Asia, where Islam is seen as more moderate
\nthan in many Middle Eastern countries, a spirit of religious
\ntolerance prevails and hopes are high for a lull in conflict
\nareas as life slows down during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
This attitude is exemplified in multi-racial Malaysia, where
\nmany non-Muslims abstain from eating and drinking in front of
\nthose fasting, and where fast-breaking is often an occasion
\nshared by people of different.<\/p>\n
Outgoing Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, recognizing the
\nimportance of such outreach efforts to curb growing fears of
\nIslamic extremism, this week urged young Malaysians to continue
\nvisiting each other's open houses.<\/p>\n
Despite sparking uproar recently with a remark that "Jews rule
\nthis world," Mahathir, who retires next week after 22 years in
\noffice, told his countrymen to maintain the spirit of tolerance
\nand unity that has helped Malaysia flourish.<\/p>\n
Neighboring Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated
\nnation, is bracing for the yearly curbs on night-time
\nentertainment and mass treks homeward that have become an annual
\nheadache for transport authorities.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Council of Ulemas (Muslim scholars) has called on
\nthe government to close nightspots and ban television shows
\nfeaturing pornography and violence, saying Ramadhan should become
\na "momentum to develop good conduct."<\/p>\n
Local soap operas featuring violence and romantic intrigue are
\npopular in Indonesia, where more than 80 percent of its 212
\nmillion people follow Islam.<\/p>\n
But Islam is not the state religion and Indonesians are
\nrelaxed in their observance. Many people, especially in the main
\nisland of Java, mix the religion with elements of Hindu and
\nBuddhistic and other pre-Islamic traditions such as animism.<\/p>\n
Muslim Javanese still provide offerings for spirits of their
\nloved ones who have died and pray at graves of people considered
\nsaints, practices deemed heretical by purist Islamists. In West
\nSumatra, a devoutly Islamic society still remains matrilineal.<\/p>\n
In mainly Roman Catholic Philippines, the Idul Fitri marking
\nthe end of Ramadhan will bring cheer to some four to five million
\nMuslims, or 5 percent of the population, after it was declared a
\nnational holiday last year.<\/p>\n
Officials and community leaders said there is little racial
\ntension in the run up to Ramadhan and minority Muslims hope the
\nguns will remain silent in the country's troubled south.<\/p>\n
Last February, the Philippine military went on a major bloody
\noffensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the
\ncountry's largest separatist force, during a Muslim festival
\nmarking the haj pilgrimage.<\/p>\n
"We hope and pray there will no fighting during this coming
\nholy month. This is a period for reflection," Abhoud Syed Lingga,
\nchairman of the Bangsamoro People's Consultative Assembly, the
\nlargest Muslim civil society group, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Southeast Asia's Islamic moderation has been questioned after
\nlast October's nightclub bombings in Indonesia's Bali island
\nwhere extremists killed 202 people.<\/p>\n
Though the bloodiest, Bali was one of many recent attacks
\napparently committed or planned by Southeast Asian militants in
\nthe name of the faith, including bombings of embassies, offices,
\nmalls and churches in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines,
\nexperts noted.<\/p>\n
"The biggest challenge comes within the Malay community where
\nreligious zealots try to impose their views on the masses. We
\ncannot let them win the battle," said Abdul Razak Baginda,
\ndirector of the Malaysian Institute of Strategic Research.<\/p>\n
Merle Ricklefs, a professor of Asian studies at Melbourne
\nUniversity, wrote in an article this year that the "battle for
\nthe soul of Islam" in Indonesia cannot be underestimated.<\/p>\n
"But the violent extremists are only part of the story. They
\nare vastly outnumbered, out-educated, out-publicized and out-
\ninfluenced by the tolerant, forward-thinking moderates of
\nIndonesian Islam."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/se-asian-muslims-mark-ramadhan-with-religious-tolerance-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}