Tue, 11 Jan 2000

Celebrating Idul Fitri away from Indonesia

By Dewi Anggraeni

MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): This era of information technology has created a global community in which people may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive. People find themselves in remove from events and having to sort out advantages from disadvantages, information from noise.

In Australia for instance, Indonesian communities in cities throughout the country learned about events in Indonesia not only from newspapers, radio and television, but also from the Internet and e-mail.

Unfortunately, while the awareness of what is happening in the homeland is heightened, the remorse generated by the sectarian conflicts throughout Indonesia is unavoidable.

It was reassuring, then, to see that feelings of good will did still prevail during the Idul Fitri celebrations in Melbourne.

The festivities began with groups of Indonesian Muslims saying their Ied prayers on the morning of Jan. 8, followed by a celebratory lunch hosted by Consul General E.G. Rumayar and his staff.

A magnificent spread of Indonesian food was served in the vacated car park of the consulate office in Melbourne, where a giant marquee was set up. Indonesian music, some nostalgic, some modern, was heard in the background, while the guests which numbered several hundred, many of them non-Muslim, chatted and socialized. The mood was, without doubt, festive and friendly.

People were seen still arriving after two o'clock in the afternoon, when most of the guests had moved into the multi- purpose hall for a performance of Sumatran dances. This performance was provided by the cultural wing of the Indonesian Baptist Youth Group who were attending the Baptist World Congress in town.

None of the non-Sumatran people seemed put out by the absence of a performance from their region. The lively music accompanying the modernized dances was cheery enough to keep everyone in a festive spirit.

In the evening there were a number of private parties in different homes.

Celebrations continued on Sunday, Jan. 9, hosted by the Association of Indonesian Community in Victoria (IKAWIRIA) in one of the Melbourne's community centers. Over a hundred guests enjoyed the Idul Fitri lecture followed by delicious food and drinks.

The lecture, given by Syafei Anwar, former editor-in-chief of Ummat, a Muslim publication, exuded wisdom as well as warmth. Syafei, who is doing his post-graduate program at the University of Melbourne, reminded those present of the universal dimension of the Islamic doctrine.

"It gives blessings to everybody, not only to Muslims," he said. "We are required to give to those, Muslim or non-Muslim, who are less endowed or less fortunate than ourselves."

Syafei said he was appalled by the recent violent sectarian clashes in Indonesia. He emphasized that nowhere in Islamic teachings were there instructions to kill other people, or to burn other people's places of worship.

"I don't think you will find it in the Christian teachings either, or the teachings of any religion for that matter," he said.

Finally, in expressing his wishes for Indonesia to achieve a truly civil society, he listed five necessary principles: the contribution of thoughts from its mullahs, intellectuals and other experts; a just leader; a true and selfless devotion from religious adherents; strong discipline on the part of its economists and business people, and finally, strong discipline and honesty on the part of its white- and blue-collar workers.

Dancing, it appears, is in the psyche of Indonesians, because at IKAWIRIA's celebration, the guests joined in the dance with the Roka tenda, a Portugal-influenced number, very much like keroncong music.

As the sun set on the weekend, the Indonesian community in Melbourne could anticipate yet another Idul Fitri party to be hosted by the Indonesian Society of Victoria (PERWIRA), on Saturday, Jan. 15.