Rain, recession fail to dampen Idul Fitri spirit

Rain, recession fail to dampen Idul Fitri spirit

JAKARTA (JP): A heavy downpour forced many people in Jakarta
to hold Idul Fitri prayers indoors instead of outdoors, and
delayed many from visiting their relatives Friday.

The deep economic recession also forced many people to cut
back on how much they spent on the celebration, such as on new
clothes for their children and on food.

But rain or recession, the Idul Fitri message and the virtues
it extols remained strong, or perhaps even stronger, as Moslems
in Indonesia marked the end of the Ramadhan fasting month.

As the country was in the throes of the worst economic
recession in 30 years, government officials led by President
Soeharto and preachers hammered home the message that the virtues
of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, including perseverance and spiritual
strength, are assets that should see the nation through the
crisis.

The takbir, or chanting of praises to Allah (Allah is Great,
there is no God but God), accompanied by the beating of drums,
were heard almost everywhere, from people on open trucks, on the
streets, in mosques and open fields on the eve of Idul Fitri.

The chanting and drum beating went on all night until morning
prayer time. There were even firecrackers, in defiance of a
government ban, to make a blast of the evening.

Most prayer services were held as planned, although some
venues were changed at the last minute because of the rain. One
notable cancellation was the traditional prayer service in the
massive Senayan parking lot with a scheduled sermon by popular
imam Zainuddin M.Z.

There were not as many people thronging the open fields as in
past Idul Fitris as many people had began the celebration and had
prayed on Thursday.

Although the government declared that Idul Fitri fell on
Friday, Muhammadiyah, one of the largest Moslem organizations in
the country, said that based on the movement of the moon, the
Ramadhan fasting month had ended Wednesday, and Syawal, the new
month in the Islamic calendar, had began Thursday.

It also rained heavily in Bandung and Semarang and in many
smaller towns in Java on Friday.

In most parts of Jakarta, the heavy rain did not begin until
after prayer services ended. With only skeleton public
transportation services, many people delayed plans to visit their
relatives. But with three million Jakartans joining the exodus to
rural villages, traffic was also easier during the holiday.

While the recession may not have dampened the Idul Fitri
spirit, it was very much the talk of the town.

As relatives, friends and neighbors got together, they
compared notes on how the recession was affecting each one of
them. It became clear that almost no one had been spared. They
differed only on how deeply each had been affected by the crisis.

Surviving the crisis was also very much a part of the Idul
Fitri message from government officials and in sermons.

President Soeharto set the tone in his appearance at the Gema
Takbir, a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people chanting
praise to Allah, in Monas Square on Thursday night.

After hitting a massive drum, the 76-year-old President,
donning a sarong, a Moslem shirt and cap, extolled the virtues of
fasting that strengthen one's faith and self-control, which he
said could be a source of inspiration for a nation engulfed in
crisis.

"Have faith. Every sacrifice that the nation makes shall not
be wasted," he said.

Soeharto led the ceremony accompanied by Vice President Try
Sutrisno and most members of the cabinet and other dignitaries.

Ali Yafie, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council
(MUI), in his Idul Fitri sermon at the Grand Istiqlal Mosque said
Moslems should pioneer and lead the campaign to be dedicated to
and love the nation, including the drive to love the rupiah and
locally made products now being pursued to ease the crisis.

"Let's strengthen our resolve to continue with our
development, through our sense of responsibility, our willingness
to sacrifice and persevere, and through hard work together and in
solidarity," he said.

He described Idul Fitri as a "graduation day" for those who
had passed the tests of Ramadhan.

MUI chairman Hasan Basri, who delivered the sermon at the Al
Azhar Grand Mosque, said the crisis was not solely the problem of
the government, but also the responsibility of the people.

He called on all Moslems to lead a simple life as a way to
ease the pressure on the national currency. "Let's also fortify
ourselves against the desire to buy imported products," he said.
(team)