Donations, art mark Ramadhan at universities
<p>Donations, art mark Ramadhan at universities</p><p> To welcome Ramadhan, many colleges with large Muslim student
bodies in the country have organized some special activities,
such as giving donations to poor children, opening art festivals
as well as eating dinner together.</p><p>Dozens of children from poor families and orphanages were seen
on Thursday at As-Syuhada Mosque on the campus of Trisakti
University in West Jakarta. They received packages of food and
clothes, which were donated by some of the university students.</p><p>Besides giving alms to the children, the three-story mosque,
which was built to commemorate the death of four reform heroes,
who were killed on campus during a rally against President
Soeharto in 1998, also provides free medical services for the
poor as well as dinner for them in the evening.</p><p>Muslim students and the poor residents that were visiting,
also did their night prayer, tarawih, together at the mosque.</p><p>On Wednesday, hundreds of Surabayans flocked to the bazaar for
cheap products at Airlangga University in the city. Such items as
rice and sugar were among the items that were quickly sold out.</p><p>The people living around the campus praised the university for
holding the bazaar as the increases in the prices of most
commodities had become a real burden for them.</p><p>Meanwhile, the student association of the University of
Indonesia (UI)'s School of Medicine organized a Nasyid (Islamic
song) festival to observe Ramadhan.</p><p>The student association is also holding an exhibition of
Islamic photography and calligraphy on their campus on Jl.
Salemba in Central Jakarta.</p><p>The students also listened to a sermon by Islamic expert and
former minister of religious affairs Quraish Shihab while they
were eating dinner on Thursday.</p><p>UI's Arif Rahman Hakim mosque will hold on Sunday a discussion
of a book entitled Pilar-Pilar Asasi (Fundamental Pillars), which
was written by Rahmat Abdullah, a former leader of the Prosperous
Justice Party.</p><p>Students from Jakarta State University (UNJ) have organized an
Islamic drama festival, with local high school students also
participating.</p><p>Ramadhan has also affected the many restaurants and food
stalls in and around many campuses in the country. Food stalls
that are usually crowded with students in normal times are now
mostly closed. Some of them are still open, but the owners cover
the stalls with curtains so that any person fasting is unable to
see the food on display.</p><p>UNJ's Warung Kebun (Garden warung), which is popular for its
chicken noodle dishes, is closed throughout the month, while UI's
spaghetti warung is still open but covered up.</p><p>During the month, Muslim students have so far been flocking to
Arif Rahman Hakim and As-Syuhada mosques each day before it is
time to eat dinner, or break the fast, for those who have chosen
to fast this month. When The Jakarta Post visited the mosques,
some of the students were reading the Koran, while others were
sleeping. -- A. Junaidi</p>
bodies in the country have organized some special activities,
such as giving donations to poor children, opening art festivals
as well as eating dinner together.</p><p>Dozens of children from poor families and orphanages were seen
on Thursday at As-Syuhada Mosque on the campus of Trisakti
University in West Jakarta. They received packages of food and
clothes, which were donated by some of the university students.</p><p>Besides giving alms to the children, the three-story mosque,
which was built to commemorate the death of four reform heroes,
who were killed on campus during a rally against President
Soeharto in 1998, also provides free medical services for the
poor as well as dinner for them in the evening.</p><p>Muslim students and the poor residents that were visiting,
also did their night prayer, tarawih, together at the mosque.</p><p>On Wednesday, hundreds of Surabayans flocked to the bazaar for
cheap products at Airlangga University in the city. Such items as
rice and sugar were among the items that were quickly sold out.</p><p>The people living around the campus praised the university for
holding the bazaar as the increases in the prices of most
commodities had become a real burden for them.</p><p>Meanwhile, the student association of the University of
Indonesia (UI)'s School of Medicine organized a Nasyid (Islamic
song) festival to observe Ramadhan.</p><p>The student association is also holding an exhibition of
Islamic photography and calligraphy on their campus on Jl.
Salemba in Central Jakarta.</p><p>The students also listened to a sermon by Islamic expert and
former minister of religious affairs Quraish Shihab while they
were eating dinner on Thursday.</p><p>UI's Arif Rahman Hakim mosque will hold on Sunday a discussion
of a book entitled Pilar-Pilar Asasi (Fundamental Pillars), which
was written by Rahmat Abdullah, a former leader of the Prosperous
Justice Party.</p><p>Students from Jakarta State University (UNJ) have organized an
Islamic drama festival, with local high school students also
participating.</p><p>Ramadhan has also affected the many restaurants and food
stalls in and around many campuses in the country. Food stalls
that are usually crowded with students in normal times are now
mostly closed. Some of them are still open, but the owners cover
the stalls with curtains so that any person fasting is unable to
see the food on display.</p><p>UNJ's Warung Kebun (Garden warung), which is popular for its
chicken noodle dishes, is closed throughout the month, while UI's
spaghetti warung is still open but covered up.</p><p>During the month, Muslim students have so far been flocking to
Arif Rahman Hakim and As-Syuhada mosques each day before it is
time to eat dinner, or break the fast, for those who have chosen
to fast this month. When The Jakarta Post visited the mosques,
some of the students were reading the Koran, while others were
sleeping. -- A. Junaidi</p>