Celebrating Idul Fitri away from Indonesia

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.