Facing tough challenge of Ramadhan in Melbourne

By Dewi Anggraeni

MELBOURNE (JP): In this era of facile global travels, it is not unusual for Muslims to find themselves in a foreign land where the majority of the population are non-Muslims. At first glance it can be daunting, especially for those who are away from the familiar environment of their own home for the first time. The emotional support network they have so far leaned on and taken for granted are no longer present. No wonder some of them are disoriented.

There are a fair number of Indonesians studying in Australia who are Muslims and who fast during this month. Those in the far south, such as Melbourne and Hobart, fasting this year requires a great deal of determination and unwavering faith.

To begin with, it is right in the middle of summer in the southern part of Australia. The sun rises at about 4 a.m. and sets at 8:45 p.m.

Effectively this means that every day you fast for almost 17 hours. Life goes on as usual. If you go to work, your colleagues, who are most likely not Muslims, would have a cup of coffee beside them at their desks, have something to nibble at lunchtime, or even talk about particular food among themselves, completely oblivious to your mental agony.

The overlapping of the Christmas season with Ramadhan is also an additional weight on your already overflowing temptation basket. Everywhere you go during the day, you see festivities which inevitably involves delicious food. Office Christmas parties are not all held in the evenings, because at this time of year, most people have their evenings understandably fully booked.

So how do Indonesian Muslims accommodate all the above into their religious observance of fasting?

In Melbourne, where Indonesian students study in at least six universities, Melbourne, RMIT, Monash, LaTrobe, Deakin and Swinburne, they form network groups. One example is Brunswick Religious Discussion Group (Pengajian Brunswick), which includes students from the University of Melbourne and RMIT University. To give mutual support in maintaining their strength in fasting and their faith in God, subgroups meet three times a week at nominated members' homes to read the Koran and break their fast together. And once a week the whole group meets for taraweh prayers, also at one of the members' home. Those who are here with their families, come en famille.

Last week, they gathered at the home of Syafei Anwar and his wife Rusmiati in the northern suburb of North Coburg. The meeting began with a lecture by a member, Guido Anwar, on the many virtues of fasting.

Questions asked afterward were not necessarily answered by the speaker, but by anyone deemed knowledgeable in the respective fields. At dusk, which fell at 9:45 p.m., sweet food was served to break the fast, followed by the main course, prepared communally, mostly by the women members.

Toward 11 p.m. they began the taraweh prayers. The atmosphere was positively friendly and mutually supportive.

Syafei Anwar of the University of Melbourne is in this city with his wife Rusmiati and their four children, who range from five to 19 years of age. They all fast, with a small concession for the youngest son, who fasts from noon to 6 p.m. the afternoon.

Both Syafei and Rusmiati so far feel comfortable in their religious observance, and so do their children. It is a blessing that this year Ramadhan falls during the school holiday, so they need not exert themselves unnecessarily during the day.

"The weather has also been kind to us," they said. Unusual for Melbourne, where the weather is known to be extremely changeable, it has been hovering at around 14 degrees Celsius the lowest at night to the highest of 25 degrees Celsius during the day.

Though they have to go without the traditional young coconut juice and kolak (banana or potato stew) for their first taste of food each evening, Rusmiati views the situation optimistically. No long preparations are needed. Instant drinks and food are available from the supermarket. "So we have more time to read the Koran," said Rusmiati.

Syafei admits that the long days affect him. So he works toward accommodating the problems it causes. Since his energy wanes in the afternoon, he sleeps during those hours. After the evening meals he reads and writes and generally works on his academic papers throughout the night.

"Every day we read from the Koran. We are committed to finish reading the holy book during Ramadhan," said Syafei and Rusmiati.

While post-graduate students who came with their families have their instant support network, not so with those who came alone.

Safrudin Amin, known to his friends as Dino, is single and has only been in Melbourne for six months, studying social anthropology at RMIT University.

Like everyone else, Dino finds the long days more trying than the 12 hours fasting in Indonesia. And he misses the support network of his hometown community in Makassar.

"There are no tangible atmosphere like that in Indonesia. Nothing on the radio and television indicates it is the fasting month. All I hear is the sounds of cars zooming past outside. And no matter where I look, I cannot see anyone selling coconut leaves and other merchandise that abound during Ramadhan in Indonesia. Boy, it's isolating!" he said.

Dino confesses to suffering from a multitude of culture shock. Being away from Indonesia for the first time is hard enough for a single young man. On top of that he is experiencing a lonely Ramadhan which falls in the midst of summer with long days.

"And since this is summer, most girls wear light clothes which unfortunately for us who are fasting, are very revealing. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not supposed to be tempted to look at them. Believe me, it is not very easy for a red-blooded young man!" he confided.

The Monash group to which he belongs fortunately holds regular meetings where they break their fast together, listen to lectures or sermons, hold discussions, and have say the taraweh prayers. Twice a week he also joins other Indonesian Muslims to meet at the Consulate General, for more support.

Nadjwa Zamalek Dalimoenthe, known to her friends as Neneng, a medical doctor in clinical pathology, is here with her husband and two children. Her poise and equanimity often belie the trying circumstances created by fasting in Melbourne. Apart from the long days, Neneng misses most of all, the azan (call to prayer), the lectures and sermons, especially by her favorite preachers Nurcholish Madjid and Alwi Shihab.

"Here we can't rely on the call to prayer. We look at the clock instead," said Neneng, laughing. "At home in Bandung, we live next door to a mosque, so the atmosphere is very supportive. Besides, not far in Jl. Cikapundung, there are usually food stalls selling sweetmeats for the breaking of fast, like lupis and kolak. That itself creates a supportive community, a meeting place where people fall into impromptu discussions, or just small talk," she recounted.

Neneng belongs to one of the numerous women's religious discussion groups, where they read the Koran every day, with a view to completely reading it during this month.

Everyone contacted by The Jakarta Post agrees that despite the hardships there are positive aspects which balance them out. Apart from the mutual support they give and receive, they also feel much more strengthened mentally, and closer to God.

"Isn't it a fact, that the bigger the temptation, the greater the reward?" asked Neneng rhetorically.