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Well-wishers continue to pray for Gus Dur
Forty days after his demise, people continued to flock the burial site of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, defying a downpour on Sunday, Antara reported
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orty days after his demise, people continued to flock the burial site of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, defying a downpour on Sunday, Antara reported.
The well-wishers began to arrive in the morning, while the religious ceremony to commemorate the
40th day after Gus Dur’s death, (called a 40-day tahlilan in Arabic) did not take place until later in the evening.
The mourners seemed unperturbed by their rain-drenched clothes, walking up to 3 kilometers from the parking lot to the tomb on the west side of the Islamic School building in Tebuireng, Jombang, East Java.
The ceremony was attended by Musthofa Bisri, who was Gus Dur’s companion during their academic stay in Egypt. Constitutional Court chief Mahfud M.D. was also among distinguished figures who had visited the cemetery before.
Gus Dur, who died on Dec. 30 in Jakarta and was buried the following day, has continued to win tributes for the democracy and pluralism he fought for during his life.
Hasyim Muzadi, his successor at Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest mass organization in Indonesia, as well as critics to his views, was among those who recalled Gus Dur’s past deeds, which he said had brought respect to the NU.
“When I went overseas, many non-Muslim circles asked about Gus Dur, not about Soeharto or SBY,” Hasyim said.
He was speaking before a congregation of 10,000 at a mosque in Surabaya on Saturday, as part of the 40-day tahlilan. Among attendees was Gus Dur’s brother, Solahudin Wahid.
Hasyim, who heads the World Conference on Religions for Peace, said Gus Dur had been able to promote moderate Islam for his campaign about respect among all types of faiths.
“When Gus Dur first took the helm of NU, he urged young scholars including me to redefine NU’s identity,” he said.
At that point, Solahudin Wahid, or “Gus Solah”, extended his gratitude for the prayers said.
“Many people from different circles say prayers for Gus Dur. This shows Gus Dur’s views, albeit controversial, were acceptable to many,” he said.
“For example, some suspect that through his view of pluralism Gus Dur wanted to mix up all religions,” he said.
In Magelang, Central Java, prayers were heard not only for Gus Dur, but also others who are remembered for their having fought for pluralism during their time.
Called “Prayers for National Heroes”, the ceremony also thanked Father YB Mangun Wijaya, Ni Wayan Gedong and Frans Seda.
Representatives from all religions were in attendance at the event.
“It’s a fact that Indonesia is plural, although we still encounter issues of ethnicity, racism and creed,” Pavali Nasional member Tri Danto said.
“Pluralism upheld by those four figures is worth continuing,” he said.
Their lives were examples that the spirit of religions that promote tolerance and respect, he said.
“They were typical in nationhood, comprehending nationhood with spiritualism, and it then made their lives meritable to others,” he said.
Several artists read poems, explored pantomime and staged performances, while others played a variety of ethnic music.
Separately, in Solo, Central Java, hundreds of people of various religions held prayers for Gus Dur on Sunday.
Reverend Retno Ratih Suryaning Handayani said that the theme of prayer was “Celebrating and Fighting for Plurality”.
“Gus Dur was an icon for plurality. He made plurality a beautiful gift that we must not only fight for but also celebrate,” Retno said as quoted by http://www.vivanews.com.
