Refugees take heart observing Ramadhan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Shopping malls in Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia are putting up the sale signs, the prices of basic commodities are soaring and people are lining up at bus terminals and railway stations to buy tickets to return to their hometowns. Yes, all signs point to the arrival of a major holiday.

Muslims across the archipelago began observing the fasting month of Ramadhan on Saturday, which will conclude with Idul Fitri, or locally called Lebaran, on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17.

For those Indonesians living in large cities, there are numerous options and opportunities during Ramadhan, such as attending pesantren kilat (short courses at Muslim boarding schools) for working people who have little time to study Islam during the rest of the year.

But for displaced Indonesians, those people who have become internal refugees because of conflict in the regions, there are many obstacles to overcome in performing their religious duties.

According to government figures, there are 1.3 million refugees across 19 provinces, including North Sumatra, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara and Central and South Sulawesi.

For many of these refugees, the harsh conditions in which they live may help them discover the true meaning of Ramadhan. But for others, the financial and personal constraints of living as a refugee may prove too difficult to overcome in performing their religious duties.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post, many Muslim refugees said that despite their minimal resources, most of which comes from the local authorities, they were prepared to observe Ramadhan.

"We are ready to fast. We have the willpower to complete the fast," said Muzna, 40. She has lived with her husband, Jufri, 45, and their nine children in Gawalise Stadium, Palu, since fleeing the sectarian conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi, last May.

Another refugee at the stadium, Oto Sadikin, 53, said he was proud that he would still be able to fast.

But for these refugees, observing Ramadhan may be easier said than done. Muzna and Oto said they were reliant on donations to survive, but they complained that the 12 kilograms of rice per person per month provided by the authorities in Palu sometimes came as late as three months.

Also, the authorities only provide rice for five family members (two parents and three children), so larger families have to provide the rest on their own. This is an enormous challenge for people like Muzna and her husband Jufri, a part-time construction worker, who must provide for nine children.

"We don't have enough supplies, so we just have to make do. I have to work harder just to be able to pay the zakat fitrah (alms) because I cannot rely on the government," said Oto.

For other refugees, the main difficulty they must overcome is simply being away from their homes during the fasting month.

Ahmad Badaruddin, 45, a Sampit-born Madurese man, has trouble accepting that he and his family were forced out of Sampit, West Kalimantan. Ahmad and his family fled the ethnic conflict there and are now staying with a Madurese family in Bangkalan, Madura.

"To tell you the truth, I want to cry with the approach of Ramadhan. When I was still in Sampit, I could observe the fasting month with friends. Now I don't know what to do," said the father of four.

Losing his financial independence also weighs heavily upon him. Ahmad used to work at a construction material supply outlet in Sampit before fleeing the city eight months ago. Now he works as a driver's assistant on a public bus.

"We can still eat every day because the local authorities give us food rations, but food isn't enough. Who doesn't want to celebrate Ramadhan and Idul Fitri?

"Now I don't have the money for things like the zakat fitrah or to buy new clothes (for the holidays), because I'm heavily dependent on donations from the government and other people," he said.

Most of the refugees expressed their hope that they would be able to return to their homes for Idul Fitri, to see their families and perhaps pick up the pieces of their old lives.

"My parents-in-law and my wife's relatives still live in Sampit. I don't know if we can visit during Lebaran. If I can, I will return and try to get my job back," said Ahmad.

Oto said he saw no problems in celebrating Idul Fitri. "Everywhere Lebaran is the same. The difference lies in fulfilling the fast and discovering its meaning."

At the end of the fasting month, when Muslims believe they are closer to receiving Allah's mercy, it is not surprising that their one wish is to return to the homes where they raised families, worked and played.

Fajar Nurrahman, 55, who fled Sambas, West Kalimantan, and took refuge in Kedundung, Bangkalan, said he hoped fasting would teach him to be patient and to wait for the right time to return to his home.

"I only pray that God will bestow perseverance and patience upon me and my family so that we can wait until we are able to return to Sambas."