Indonesian Muslims celebrate Idul Fitri far from home

Dwi Atmanta ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Warsaw   |  Sat, 10/04/2008 11:33 AM  |  National

Warsavian Marcin Nieporecki is not a Muslim, but since marrying his wife Dina, an Indonesian native, two years ago, he has had a reason to celebrate Idul Fitri.

Nieporecki braved the morning drizzle as he waited for his wife outside of the only mosque in Warsaw on Wiertnicza Street on Wednesday.

Clad in a light brown leather jacket that protected him from the breeze, he walked along the side of the road where several cars belonging to worshipers were parked. In a chilly wind that signaled the beginning of fall, he smoked a cigarette and waited.

Inside the mosque, Dina joined other Muslims of various regions, including the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe, who had thronged the building, which resembles an Indonesian musholla (small prayer room).

Female worshipers packed into a hall on the second floor, while the men sat in the main hall below.

Those who arrived late only found space to pray in the foyer, where the Muslims inside had temporarily cast their shoes. Other late arrivals chose to worship in the ablutions room.

"This mosque has always been overcrowded and has become a meeting point for the Indonesian community during Idul Fitri prayer," said Syaf Ruddin, a staff worker at the Indonesian Embassy in Warsaw.

At the end of the hour-long ritual, the attending Muslims congratulated one another with handshakes and hugs. Date pie was served to all celebrants.

Nieporecki joined in on the celebration outside the mosque. A number of Indonesian citizens, including the Indonesian Ambassador to Poland Hazairin Pohan, gathered for a rare moment to meet with their fellow country men and to take pictures.

Idul Fitri is a special event for Teija Gumilar, an industrial design graduate at a German university. So much so that he traveled 319 kilometers from his base in Poznan to celebrate the occasion with the Indonesian community in Warsaw.

A senior Indonesian language lecturer of the faculty of modern languages and literature at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Teija, considers the guest house at the Indonesian Embassy in Warsaw to be his second home.

"The embassy is open to me anytime I seek shelter," said the Bandung native, who has frequently served as an interpreter for Indonesian officials visiting Poland.

For most Polish, Idul Fitri is just another ordinary day. On Wednesday, offices, markets, schools were open, although Muslim workers were allowed to celebrate the holiday.

Islam's presence in Poland can be traced back to the 14th century, when the Tatar ethnic group were allowed access into the Poland-Lithuania region to help the then commonwealth to fight its enemies.

In exchange for their services, the Tatars were allowed to inseminate their culture and belief. The country's 1791 constitution stipulated that the minority group be allocated at least one seat in the Sjem -- the Polish parliament.

Ambassador Hazairin said some 150 Indonesians living in Poland would visit the embassy on Idul Fitri.

Indonesian dishes, including lontong (steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves) and opor ayam (chicken cooked with coconut milk) and spicy chayote soup, were prepared for the well wishers, who also included Polish government officials and members of the diplomatic community in Warsaw.

"Our Dharma Wanita members cooked the meals together," said Hazairin's wife, Ade, referring to the Indonesia-based association of state employees' wives.

Hazairin said the event offered a good opportunity for Indonesians and foreign guests to meet. He also holds an open house event at Christmas.

"Many people only know Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim nation. But they don't know that Indonesia is not a Muslim country. There are non-Muslims living there," said Hazairin, a former journalist.

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