T

housand of Muslims flocked to mosques across the predominantly Hindu island of Bali on Friday night to conduct evening Taraweh prayers to welcome the coming of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Sudirman Grand Mosque in Denpasar, which holds 1,000 people, was filled to the brim with adherents.

Similar scenes were observed at the At-Taqwa mosque in east Denpasar, the Baiturahman mosque in Kampung Jawa and the Muhajirin mosque in Kampung Islam Kepaon.

Both Kampung Jawa and Kampung Islam Kepaon are traditional Muslim villages, which have in the past enjoyed the patronage of and protection from the island's traditional feudal rulers.

To cope with the surging number of faithful, the custodians of the mosques cleared adjacent parking lots to accommodate the overflow.

"We left the house early in the hopes of finding a spot inside the mosque," Indraswari, who is observing Ramadan, said.

Syamsul Bahri from the Bali religious affairs office said the surge was common in the initial days of Ramadan.

"The mosques will be full with adherents during the first ten days of Ramadhan. After that the number of adherents performing their prayers in the mosques will steadily decrease.

"The mosques will be a quieter place 10 days prior the end of Ramadan because most of the adherents will make trips to their home villages by then," he said.

Syamsul estimated that there are 600 mosques in Bali. "The island's Muslim population is about 20 percent of the total population."

The Al Amanah mosque in Renon will be providing a free and open-for-the-public breaking of the fast event throughout Ramadan.

"There will be free meals and cakes followed by a discussion on religious teachings," Agung, from the mosque's Ramadhan committee, said.

- JP/ Wasti Atmodjo