A box of “Islamophobin” pills, promising “multi-symptom relief for chronic Islamophobia”, awaited visitors to the Indonesian Ambassador’s home on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, known in Indonesia as Idul Fitri. The medicine carried a warning: “May result in peaceful co-existence.”
The Ambassador and his wife warmly met everyone at the door as the surrogate elders of the community. In Indonesia, schools and offices are closed to provide time for people to visit their extended families. Generally, aunts and uncles and cousins all converge at the house of the most senior member of the extended family and then work their way down through the houses of the family tree, partaking in sweets and rice cakes and sometimes full meals at each location in stark contrast to the Ramadan month of daytime fasting.
As many Indonesians living in the US diaspora do not have extended families nearby, the Ambassador invites all Indonesians in the DC area to his house, blurring political and social roles. Long tables of food were set up to feed the guests, and in true Indonesian style, guests were also welcome to bring their guests. Many waited patiently in line in the Ambassador’s lengthy circular driveway to take photos with the Ambassador, exchanging the traditional Idul Fitri greeting, Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin” ― “forgive me from the bottom of my heart/soul for my wrongdoings in the past year.”
Maybe it was the Islamophobin, or maybe it was just the character of Indonesians, but guests were wishing one another the Idul Fitri greetings regardless of whether they were Indonesian Muslims, Christians or Hindus in the same way that many of these same people wished one another “Om Swastiastu” a Hindu greeting for peace, at a celebration for a Balinese holiday also held at the Ambassador’s home.
Whereas American federal holidays are typically secular – except, of course, Christmas ― Indonesian public holidays include Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu holy days. With close to 90% of its population observing the Muslim faith, the government throughout the country’s 6000 inhabited islands is closed for the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammed. But government offices are also closed for the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence, Nyepi, even though less than 2% of the country is Balinese Hindu. That would be like the whole of the U.S. having off for Yom Kippur or Eid even in communities where there are no Jewish or Muslim observers for miles around.
In the U.S., we talk about increasing tolerance as a way to reduce religious tensions. Maybe we would do better if instead of just tolerating each other, we celebrated each other. If nothing else, it would give us an excuse to eat more sweets and might just make us all a little sweeter in the process. Happy celebrations, all.