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Idul Fitri tradition in RI comparable to UK: Envoy
In his first year celebrating the annual Muslim celebration of Idul Fitri in Indonesia, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik says he feels the traditions of joy for Muslims are not that different from those observed in his native UK.
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(credit: The Jakarta Post) UK Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik (Tempo/Natalia Santi)
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n his first year celebrating the annual Muslim celebration of Idul Fitri in Indonesia, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik says he feels the traditions of joy for Muslims are not that different from those observed in his native UK.
"There are a lot of Muslims in London, and even if we are not the majority, we observe traditions that are similar to those in Indonesia, such as pilgrimages to family graves, gathering with family for meals and silaturahmi," Ambassador Malik said on Wednesday, referring to the Muslim equivalent of keeping close familial ties by visiting each other.
For Malik, the UK's first Muslim ambassador to Indonesia, the affinity between the two countries' Islamic cultures makes it easier for him to settle into the local community.
The envoy gets along with the caretakers of the Sunda Kelapa Mosque, where he regularly attends Friday prayers, due partly to his own experiences coming from a tight-knit Muslim community in Harrow, a suburb in northeast London.
The mosque in Harrow conducts the Idul Fitri prayers five times a day to accommodate the 20,000-strong local Muslim community, offering services in the English, Arabic, Urdu, Afghan and Somalian languages.
The community is more like family, he said, making comparisons to the way Indonesians observe the Muslim holiday.
The Malik household has been a member of the community in Harrow since his late father migrated to the UK at the age of 19.
Malik was present at an “open house” event hosted by Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir on Wednesday, which featured a number of foreign dignitaries including EU Ambassador Vincent Guérend and Japanese Ambassador Yasuaki Tanizaki. (Yoh)
