Chinese Muslims celebrate 'Imlek' in mosque

Chinese Muslims celebrate 'Imlek' in mosque

Slamet Susanto/Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

An erroneous perception among the majority of local people in
this country over the past several decades, nearly led to an ugly
incident as a result of a celebration of Imlek or the Chinese New
Year at a mosque.

They were led to believe -- apparently without any independent
research -- by hearsay or racism-based propaganda that the Imlek
celebration was a religious ritual connected to Confucianism or
Buddhism. So as a response last year several groups of Muslim
hardliners in the Yogyakarta area strongly opposed the
celebration of Imlek in a local mosque and even threatened to
break up the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

To enlighten these groups about their incorrect perceptions
and to improve ethnic and religious tolerance, the Association of
Muslim Chinese-Indonesians (PITI) in Yogyakarta decided to
celebrate the New Year at a mosque last year. The Syuhada Mosque
in Kotabaru was chosen for this unprecedented event -- at least
in Java -- for its historical heritage.

The group chairwoman Lie Sioe Fen explained that the New Year
celebration was not a religious ritual, but a tradition of his
ancestors in expression of their happiness to welcome the spring.
The tradition dates back thousands of years, long before any of
the major world religions were propagated in China.

"As Muslims, there is nothing wrong with praying and
expressing our gratitude in welcoming the New Year in a mosque,"
Lie Sioe Fen said.

Former chairman of PITI Yogyakarta during the 1983-2002
period, Budi Satyagraha, who initiated the idea to celebrate
Imlek in the mosque, said that in the beginning, the idea created
some heated debates, especially from the local Muslim hardliners.
Such groups considered Imlek a ritual of a non-Islamic religion
and they therefore mistakenly were led to believe it should be
forbidden in a mosque. That is when they threatened to break up
the celebration.

"Many suggested that I cancel the plan, because it was
considered impudent, dangerous and could spark conflicts. But
with the desire to preserve ethnic traditions and to create
inter-religious tolerance, we went ahead. And Alhamdulillah
(praise be to God), it was safe and ran well," Budi, who is also
a local councillor, recalled.

He said that on Jan. 30 this year, PITI would again celebrate
Imlek at the Syuhada Mosque. It will start with an evening prayer
(Isya). Other activities such as an informal discussion, the
distribution of traditional Chinese New Year cake made of sticky
rice, kue keranjang - similar to the distribution of ketupat
(rice wrapped in fist-sized container from plaited young coconut
leaves) during Idul Fitri holidays, and the distribution of ang
pao, lucky money put in red envelopes, from the elder people to
the younger ones.

They will also hold sholat sujud, a prayer to express their
gratitude to God for their health and prosperity.

Budi said that the celebration of Imlek in the Syuhada Mosque
this year would be a bit different from last year. Last year,
because it was the first time, there were no Chinese lanterns.
But now, lanterns will be installed to decorate the mosque. The
lanterns have nothing to do with religion either, he said.

"Long ago in China, there was no electricity, so the people
used lanterns as they did not want to be in the dark in welcoming
the New Year. So, lanterns do not symbolize any religion," Budi
explained.

At its very roots, he said, PITI had always tried to create a
harmonious religious life with respect of other religions in
peace. Unfortunately, such a message of respect, tolerance and
peace is not readily accepted by many groups and so must be
communicated in a sensitive way over time.

"Next year, we might put on a barongsai dance in the New Year
celebration so it is more cheerful. What's important is that we
introduce some of these things in stages," Budi said.

Because Imlek is merely a New Year tradition to celebrate the
coming of spring, Lie Sioe Fen explained, everybody in China
celebrates it, regardless of their religion, ethnic group or
political ideology.

Mosques, churches, temples and viharas all make preparations
for the celebration. The New Year celebration is a happy time for
people. Winter has passed and the spring is coming. The flowers
are beginning to bloom and the planting season starts. This is
like welcoming a new life after hibernating in the cold winter's
snow, he added.

"It is actually quite similar to many Javanese traditions.
Some hold a thanksgiving party to express their gratitude for
panen gadu (the harvest at the beginning of the rainy season) and
others have different events at that time of the year," Lie Sioe
Fen, 49, said.

In order to improve religious tolerance, PITI Yogyakarta also
holds other programs. It regularly organizes a charity bazaar,
and on the third week of each month, it holds a Koran recital.
PITI also often holds discussions and interacts with other groups
from different religions.

"All Muslims are brothers and sisters, and all religious
people should respect each other," she said.

On Oct. 15, PITI organized a national seminar entitled, Imlek
in the Perspective of Culture, Chinese Philosophy and Islamic
Law. Among the speakers were Irwan Abdullah, executive director
of Religious and Crosscultural Studies and H. Lasiyo, a professor
of Chinese philosophy at the University of Gadjah Mada.

"In the future, we hope that PITI will become a bridge for
Chinese-Indonesians who want to know more about Islam. They have
long been marginalized, so that they've found it difficult to get
information, especially about the religion, openly," she said.

She said that PITI will invite public and religious figures
(for the coming New Year celebration). It will invite 35 mass
Muslim mass organizations in Yogyakarta province and 10 Chinese
organizations as well as some Protestant and Catholic leaders. It
is hoped that the get-together, with such diverse groups, will be
a time of openness and tolerance.

In order to ensure it all goes safely and to prevent any
unexpected incidents, PITI has also discussed the Imlek issue
with moderate Islamic figures and the Yogyakarta Muslim Ulema
Council (MUI).

In the end, the council issued a fatwa (edict), saying that
there was no problem with the celebration of Imlek at mosques. It
demonstrates that the erroneous perceptions are indeed being
eroded and Chinese-Indonesian Muslims are leading the way to
tolerance.