http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-muslims-divided-on-when-ramadan-should-begin/531546
Indonesian Muslims Divided on When Ramadan Should Begin July 19, 2012 An officer looks through a telescope at the evening sky at Tajung Bunga beach in Makassar on Thursday. He is one of dozens of people dispatched to observation spots across Indonesia in anticipation of the sighting of the hilal, or new moon, which is used to determine the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan. (Antara Photo/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang) Once again, Indonesian Muslims are divided on when the fasting month of Ramadan begins. The government announced on Thursday that Ramadan would begin on Saturday, but Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second largest Muslim organization, had already told its members to start fasting on Friday. “No witnesses in Indonesia have sighted the hilal [new moon]. This means that Ramadan 1, year 1433 Hijri, falls on Saturday, July 21, 2012,” Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said during a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday evening discussing when Ramadan should start. He has said, however, that he believes these differences should be a source of neither “dispute nor debate.” “Although astronomical experts’ statements are more valid,” he told the Indonesian news portal republika.co.id. The Indonesian government uses the hilal-sighting method to determine the beginning and end of Ramadan, as well as the dates of major Islamic holidays Idul Fitri and Idul Adha. Government officials are stationed at strategic spots across the country to scan the skies for the new moon each night. In years past, the government has held an annual gathering of astronomical experts and ulemas from Muslim organizations to discuss the results of the sightings, or lack thereof. The majority of Indonesian Muslims now follow the government’s lead on when to begin and end their Ramadan fast. But several organizations use different methods to determine the start and end of the fasting month, such as Muhammadiyah, which relies on astronomical calculations rather than eyewitness reports. “We’ve decided days ago,” Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said in Banjarmasin on Thursday. ++++ http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/who-will-be-regulated-during-ramadan-and-who-will-do-the-regulating/531418 Who Will be Regulated During Ramadan, and Who Will Do the Regulating? Bayu Marhaenjati & Arientha Primanita | July 19, 2012 The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) rallies in front of the Constitutional Court in Jakarta in an undated file photo. The police have said they will not tolerate FPI raids, and the FPI has said they won't conduct raids if the police do their job. (JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya) Jakarta Police said they will act swiftly against raids conducted by hard-line organizations on nightlife spots or restaurants that remain open during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. People involved in “anarchic acts” may face up to five years prison, warned Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto. “The sanction will depend on the level of the violation committed,” he said. “If [they] break property, they can be charged under Article 170 on vandalism that carries a punishment of up to five years in jail. Torture will be handled through Article 351. We will see what kind of violations are committed.” But the police said they would not offer any special protection for venues at risk of being raided, and that patrols will continue to run normally. “The police will maintain normal procedures with normal patrols because those places are protected under the bylaw,” Rikwanto said. “If everything is done according to the rules, I’m sure there will not be any anarchic acts. But we will act swiftly against any actions that break the law or those people who resort to anarchy,” Rikwanto said. Salim Umar Al Attas, the chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), said police should do their job, thereby preventing any reason for his organization to carry out raids. “If the police ban us from conducting raids, they should deploy members from all levels to work [on enforcement],” Salim said. “The month of Ramadan should not be disrupted by the fact that some places of sin remain open.” Salim insisted the FPI had no desire to break the law — it only wanted to ensure that law enforcement was doing its job. He also said that nightlife venues had become more cooperative in recent years, but that other regions were still allowing brothels to remain open during the holy month. Salim promised to have FPI members stand watch over nightlife venues during Ramadan. Also weighing in on the issue, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo and Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Untung S. Rajab recently issued orders for organizations to refrain from conducting raids during Ramadan (though Timur has recently offered mixed messages about “public participation” in policing venues). Businesses to be affected by Ramadan Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said the Jakarta Tourism Agency issued a statement calling on most nightlife spots and massage parlors to close one day before the start of Ramadan. In response, the Jakarta administration announced on Wednesday it would “tightly monitor” 1,297 tourism-related businesses whose operations would be affected by Ramadan. The head of the Jakarta tourism and culture agency, Arie Budhiman, said the ruling was based on a bylaw and a gubernatorial decree on tourism activities issued in 2004. Arie identified three different categories of tourism-related business: Those which would have to be closed fully, those which must reduce their operating hours and those which would be allowed to operate normally during Ramadan. There are six types of businesses falling under the “fully closed” category, including nightclubs, discotheques, bars, saunas, massage parlors and some gambling centers. Karaoke and live music venues’ operating hours will be limited from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. during the fasting month. The third category includes facilities provided by star-rated hotels, including bars, which are allowed to operate normally, except for one day before and the first day of Ramadan, the 17th night of Ramadan, and four days throughout Idul Fitri. “All tourism businesses are also banned from [using] pornographic and erotic ads. We hope all entertainment businesses will obey the existing regulations,” Arie said, adding that any violators to the regulation would face sanctions ranging from warnings to the revocation of their business permits. “They’ll be given sanctions if they open at the beginning of Ramadan, operate during Ramadan, abuse the operating hours, abuse religious and moral norms or possess no Permanent Tourism Business Permit,” Arie added [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
