Japanese Muslims also have 'kolak' and 'mudik'

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.