Japanese Muslims also have 'kolak' and 'mudik'

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Muslims in Indonesia usually enjoy breaking of the fast gatherings by eating sweet dishes. Apart from the food, they also say the tarawih evening prayer together.

Similar activities are also held by some 200 members of the Japan Muslim Association here.

"We also enjoy kolak pisang (banana cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar) to break our fast. Sometimes, we also have Japanese snacks such as sweet sticky rice or mochi (sweet rice cakes). But that really depends on whether anyone prepares it," the association's Jakarta representative Soichi Oni told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

However, Japanese Muslims living in Indonesia still find it difficult to adapt to the local Muslim way of life and instead prefer to observe the holy month in a private manner with their families at home.

"There is also a language barrier for some of us to mingle and expand their religious experience with locals," Oni said.

The association has therefore tried to facilitate gatherings in which Japanese Muslims here can regularly get together to share their religious experiences.

"We usually hold a monthly gathering," he added. "The gathering is conducted in the Japanese language to make it more convenient and comfortable for us."

During gatherings, to which visiting professors on Islam from Japan are often invited, participants openly discuss their experience with Islam and their understanding of the religion through reading a collection of Islamic books written in Japanese.

"We talk about the difficulties in practicing Islam in our daily lives," Oni said. "But what is most important thing is that we understand the sharia law of Islam's teachings and services, and not just its formalities."

Besides providing a forum for Japanese Muslims to keep in touch, the association also facilitates other Japanese who want to learn about Islam.

Oni said that only 10 to 20 people usually attended gatherings. "Many say they have tight schedules or prefer to practice the religion privately with their families at home."

The Japan Muslim Association was founded in 1953 by Sadiq Emaizumi, Omar Mita, Omar Yamaoka, Mustufa Komura, Abdul Muneer Watanabe and Omar Eukibe in Tokyo. Currently, it has some 7,000 members in Japan.

Many of the association's members here became Muslims through marriage. Several others, like Oni, who converted to Islam in 1994 and later adopted the Muslim name of Arief Rahman after his haj pilgrimage to Mecca, embraced Islam in a spiritual search for something with which to complete their lives.

Just like Indonesian Muslims, Japanese Muslims are also gearing up for the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus).

"I will go to Sukabumi (West Java) and celebrate Idul Fitri with my wife's family there," Oni said.

Others will celebrate their Idul Fitri holiday in their hometowns in Japan.

Further information on the Japan Muslim Association can be obtained at tel. (021) 5213154.