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)