Refugees take heart observing Ramadhan

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."