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The
daughter of former president President painting Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus
Dur) Yenny Zannuba Wahid stands in front of her father painting in
Jakarta in this file photo. (JGPhoto/Iskandar)
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Bandung. The call to prayer that also marked the
moment for Muslims to break the fast echoed out in the most unlikely of
places — the hall of the Virgin Mary the Untainted Heart Catholic Church
on Jalan Suryalaya Raya in Bandung.
A crowd of more than a hundred people had gathered for the communal
breaking of the fast, comprising not only Muslims but also Catholics,
Protestants, Hindus, Buddhists and Confucians.
The event, held on Monday evening, the second day of the Islamic holy
month of Ramadan, was an age-old example of Indonesia’s increasingly
overlooked tradition of religious tolerance; a rare occasion where
leaders and worshipers of different faiths could sit at one place and
enjoy a wide array of snacks commonly found on offer during Ramadan.
The crowd had gathered hours before the maghrib , or sunset, call to prayer, which signals the end of the day’s fast.
Sitting side by side, the members of the different religious groups
enjoyed a performance ranging from songs by a church choir to Islamic
chants, everything in between, including a special recital by children
with autism.
“All the different [religious] groups, institutions and organizations
are committed to making this holy month a time to reflect and
strengthen our faith as well as a time to create harmony and rekindle
our bonds,” Ignatius Yunanto, a church official and head of the
committee that organized the get-together, told the Jakarta Globe.
The organizers also invited the city’s poor from all walks of life,
from becak (rickshaw) drivers and parking attendants, to domestic
workers, buskers, scavengers and street children, as well as kids with
special needs and differently-abled persons.
Also present were members of the Ahmadiyah, a Muslim minority group
that has in recent years come under increasing attack from Sunni
hard-liners across West Java.
The fast-breaking event was part of the annual “Dialogue for Humanity
and Unity” program that tours the nation and was initiated to promote
religious tolerance by Shinta Nuriyah Wahid, the widow of the late
former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who many Indonesians
consider a champion of religious and ethnic tolerance.
The program, in its 14th running this year, is staged throughout
Ramadan in different cities across Indonesia. But Bandung holds a
special place for Shinta.
“I am always happy whenever the tour stops in Bandung, because here
we can see just how beautiful and wonderful our diversity can be,” she
said.
The program “is especially made for those whom the government often
neglects, so [the poor] can perform their fasting as best as they can.”
She said it would also help Muslims reflect on what the annual tradition of fasting symbolized.
Shinta added that the program was also aimed at rekindling the unity
and harmony between Indonesians, and called for people of all religions
and races to stage similar religious events and gatherings. “Not only in
churches, but in temples or open spaces or anywhere,” the former first
lady said.
The event left an impression on 40-year-old becak driver Dadan
Sutisna. “I got to meet new friends and have the opportunity to become
brothers with people of different faith,” he said.
For Yos Roswandi, head of the West Java chapter of the Indonesian
Ahmadiyah Congregation, the event offered a glimpse of hope for
religious tolerance in the country. “It shows that we can respect each
other’s faith, we can set aside our ethnic and religious differences.
Shinta is the glue to this togetherness,” he said.
And just hours after the fast-breaking event, the organizers hosted a
pre-fast meal at St. Michael Church on Jalan Waringin in Bandung on
Tuesday morning, inviting vendors and trash scavengers operating at a
nearby traditional market to take part.
By Yuli Krisna on 08:30 am Jul 04, 2014
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