http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/26/special-report-depok039s-majority-enjoys-living-exclusive-islamic-residences.html
Special Report: Depok's majority enjoys living in exclusive Islamic residences Fri, 06/26/2009 1:17 PM | City Compared to Christian residents, the majority Muslim residents of Depok supposedly encounter no problems in living their lives among other communities. And yet, more and more Muslims prefer living in exclusive, gated, Islamic residences to ensure an Islamic way of life. Fithri Mayasari, 24, a resident of the Permata Darussalam complex in Kukusan, Depok, is one such Muslim. She says she finds it peaceful and enjoyable living in an Islamic atmosphere. She also wants her six-month-old baby daughter to grow up in a secluded Islamic community. "We successfully run a weekly Koran recital for men and women," she says. Fithri plans to enroll her daughter in an Islamic school once she's old enough. Faisol Mirza, 27, a private-sector employee and resident of the Islamic-based Mawar Residence, says he also considered the location of the complex before buying his house there. Located south of Jakarta, Depok has become one of the capital's favorite satellite cities to live in. To date, the 200-square-kilometer city is home to more than 1.4 million residents, up from 1.2 million in 2002 and 700,000 in 1987. This continued population growth has been a boom for property developers. For more than a decade, residential complexes with general concepts have mushroomed, attracting house seekers from various market segments. However, the trend has changed in recent years, with complexes that offer a concept of Islamic community slowly taking over as the most desirable places to live in. Among the more prominent ones are Permata Darussalam, Griya Insani and the Orchid Residences. Filani Dzikri, marketing manager for Permata Darussalam Group, the first and biggest Muslim complex developer in Depok, says the concept of Islamic residential complexes is relatively new in the city. "We started this business in 2005," he says. "Other developers have since copied our concept and business strategy, and have successfully marketed dozens of other Islamic residences in the city." Filani says the concept of Islamic residences does not mean added emphasis to a certain architectural design, but rather deals with how the developers lay out a residential complex to cater to a community that espouses Islamic values. "For instance, we design bathrooms where the toilets don't lie parallel to kiblat *the direction Muslims face when praying*," he says. "We also build a mosque in every housing complex to serve as the hub of residents' religious activities." To ensure the implementation of Islamic values, Filani says all developers seek out Muslim buyers exclusively, and ask that if they decide to sell or rent out their house, that they only choose other Muslims to sell or rent to. The houses are relatively expensive - prices rang from Rp 250 million to Rp 500 million (US$24,500 to $49,000) - but Filani says there has never been a letup in demand. Each month, he claims, his company sells at least 20 houses. "Most of our buyers are newlyweds or families where the couple is less than 30 years old," he says. Typically comprising clusters or walled sub-communities within the complex, Islamic residences have also been subject to criticism over their esoteric nature. The University of Indonesia's Ratna Djuwita points out humans have a basic need to define their identity, hence the mushrooming of such residences. To avoid misconceptions about their way of life, she goes on, residents of Islamic housing complexes should openly interact with people from outside their community. Progressive Muslim scholar Musdah Mulia, however, says Islamic residences are exclusive and stifle pluralism. "Such residences are unhealthy," she says. "They threaten the growth of young generations used to living side by side in society. We should promote appreciation and respect of others, regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity." She adds the exclusion practiced in Islamic residences emerged with fundamentalism in the post-Soeharto era. "We should be concerned about this and not let our country face a threat to pluralism or democracy."
