Idul Fitri joy triumphs over downpour

Idul Fitri joy triumphs over downpour

JAKARTA (JP): Heavy rains failed to dampen the exhilaration
felt by Moslems celebrating the Idul Fitri holiday across the
country on Tuesday.

Decked-out adults and children braved the rains to say the
Idul Fitri prayer marking the end of the fasting month of
Ramadhan.

Umbrellas placed on mosque staircases provided a colorful
backdrop for women worshipers clad in white mukena. Skipping over
puddles on the way to a mosque, a woman in Jakarta declared "Let
this rain wash away all of our sins."

Thousands of wet Moslems gathered in the eastern parking lot
of Senayan to say their prayer and listen to a sermon by preacher
K.H. Zainudddin M.Z.

"This rain is a blessing for us, a reward for our devotion
during the fasting month." Zainuddin preached, inviting shouts of
Allahuakbar (Allah is great).

Rains also drenched merrymakers in Yogyakarta, Bandung,
Manado, Kendari and Palu in Sulawesi, and many parts of Lampung.

Many Moslems in Jambi province had to celebrate Idul Fitri
while sheltering from floods which have submerged many areas for
days. Antara reported that some people paddled to the mosque on
planks.

In some mosques in Jakarta, the prayer had to be conducted
twice in order to accommodate those who came late because of the
rains or could not enter to join the first service.

The Islamic teaching says that Idul Fitri prayers should be
held in fields so as many people as possible can attend. During
emergencies, however, they can be held inside mosques, and more
than once.

President Soeharto, Vice President Try Sutrisno and Mrs. Tuti
Try Sutrisno, and some cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries
said their prayer along with thousands of Jakartans at the Grand
Istiqlal Mosque.

Secretary-general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Chatib
Quzwain, said that Indonesia should use the momentum of the end
of the fasting month to accelerate its effort to alleviate
poverty.

After the prayer, Soeharto received well-wishers from among
his senior officials and relatives at his residence on Jl.
Cendana.

Chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), Hasan
Basri, expressed in his sermon at the Al Azhar Grand Mosque his
deep concern about the "anxiety-provoking moral degradation"
currently plaguing Indonesia.

"Indonesians should maintain ahlaqul karimah (good conduct),"
he said. "Without it, any nation will collapse."

Later, Idul Fitri festivities were held at the homes of
cabinet ministers in the Widya Chandra residential area in South
Jakarta. The guests held up traffic as they visited Foreign
Minister Ali Alatas, Minister of Industry and Trade Tunky
Ariwibowo and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar
Anas.

Several foreign dignitaries were seen at minister Alatas'
home, including United Nations Development Program representative
Casper Jan Kamp, Canadian Ambassador Lawrence Dickenson and
British Ambassador Graham Burton.

In Dili, the capital city of East Timor, Bishop Carlos Filipe
Ximenes Belo congratulated Moslems in the region. He visited
chairman of East Timor chapter of MUI Abdullah Sagran, Dili
police chief Lt. Col. Rachmad Effendi, and the local army chief
for social and political affairs, Sjamsu Anwar.

"This visit is concrete proof of religious tolerance here,"
said the secretary of the Committee of "Iustitia Et Pax" (Justice
and Peace) of the Dili diocese, Peter Tukan.

"Let's hope that such tolerance will continue," he was quoted
by Antara as saying.

Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung and chiefs of the
Army, Navy, Air Force and National Police joined thousands of
Moslems in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, to pray at the Sabilal
Muhtadin Grand Mosque.

Across Indonesia, the party started as soon as the call to
dusk prayer was sounded on Monday, the 29th day of Ramadhan
during which Moslems abstained from drinking, eating and having
sex during the day.

The eve of Idul Fitri, known here as Takbiran or the time for
people to praise Allah, was marked with the sound of drums
beating at mosques and the chanting of Allahuakbar until morning.

In many parts of the country, Moslems expressed their
happiness by holding impromptu parades -- cruising cities and
villages on motorcycles, and in cars and trucks.

Traffic accidents occurred in many cities. In Yogyakarta, at
least 17 accidents took place, killing four and seriously
injuring 68 people.

In Bandung, West Java, two people died in the accidents. In
Cirebon, one person died. (team)