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Mob allegedly disrupts traditional Javanese ceremony

Members of a hardline Islamist mass organization are alleged to have attempted to disrupt a traditional Javanese ceremony, the sedekah laut (sea-offering ritual), which was being held by fishermen in Baru Beach, Yogyakarta on Saturday

Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post)
Yogyakarta
Tue, October 16, 2018

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Mob allegedly disrupts traditional Javanese ceremony

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embers of a hardline Islamist mass organization are alleged to have attempted to disrupt a traditional Javanese ceremony, the sedekah laut (sea-offering ritual), which was being held by fishermen in Baru Beach, Yogyakarta on Saturday.

During the clash with the fishermen, the members allegedly said the traditional ceremony was blasphemous and antithetical to Islamic values.

But, Bantul Regent Suharsono said he never objected to the ceremony as it was purely rooted in tradition.

“This ceremony has been held since the olden days. We have never had a problem with it,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, adding that he believed the incident was triggered by a conflict on social media between local residents and members of group assumed to be the Islamic Jihadi Front (FJI).

“The ceremony is not blasphemous. Don’t conflate culture with religion,” Suharsono said.

The ceremony, traditionally known as pisungsung jaladri, is typically held by fishermen to express their gratitude for abundant catches every year.

Fajar Sujarwo, head of Pawiyatan Pamong Yogyakarta, which oversees customary village leaders in the region, alleged members of the group had previously banned any form of cultural expression, such as playing traditional gamelan instruments.

“But I’m glad [Baru Beach] residents took a stand so the ceremony could go ahead. They commenced the [traditional] reog dance at 7 p.m.,” he said.

Fajar added that Pawiyatan Pamong Yogyakarta would continue to educate the public about not rejecting out of hand religious beliefs different from their own.

Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono has deplored the incident.

“Mutual respect is important,” he said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co. “[I] hope that such [an incident] will not happen again.”

On Sunday, the governor’s wife Hemas said that “Those who attempted to ban the sedekah laut did not understand the culture of our nation”.

Hemas also urged all Yogyakarta people to help preserve local traditions.

Meanwhile, Bantul Police have questioned nine witnesses in the case, kompas.com reported.

The FJI did not respond to questions from The Jakarta Post.

Separately, the Post has also received a copy of a letter addressed to Suharsono believed to have been written by the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) branch in Kotagede, Yogyakarta.

The letter, allegedly signed by MMI head Abdul Basit and secretary Arif Nurdin, expressed the group’s rejection of the “alms to the sea” ceremony. The group regarded the traditional ceremony as sinful and blasphemous.

“Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia hereby demands that the Bantul regent put a stop to traditional ceremonies that are rooted in sin and blasphemy,” the letter reads.

However, the MMI did not verify the legitimacy of the letter when contacted by the Post.

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