U

nlike in other parts of Indonesia, cafés, restaurants and entertainment centers in Bali will operate normally during the upcoming Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan.

I Gusti Agung Kade Suthayasa, head of the provincial office of religious affairs, said that his office would not issue a formal letter ordering food and entertainment centers to change or cut their operational hours.

“We won’t issue such a policy, nor will the Bali office of the Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI]. We simply call on people to respect fasting Muslims, and there’s no problem at all. This reflects tolerance in our multi-religious society,” he said.

He said that Bali, a predominantly Hindu island, was an international tourist destination, visited by people from around the world with different cultures and religious backgrounds, and that food and entertainment were part of the draw.

“We don’t want tourists to have trouble finding food and entertainment, that’s why we will still allow businesses to operate normally.”

Based on government statistics, Muslims make up 9 percent of all residents in Bali. Most have integrated with the non-Muslim majority on the island.

Suthayasa cited Muslim populations that have lived for a long time in Bali and have integrated with the native Hindu populations, including those living in Kampung Bugis in Serangan (Denpasar), Pegayaman (Buleleng), Kampung Gelgel (Klungkung) and Loloan village (Jembrana).

In Palasari, Jembrana, around 30 Muslim families live harmoniously with thousands of Christian
neighbors.

“They don’t have problems conducting religious services. They help each other,” Suthayasa said.

Musta’in, another official with the Bali office of religious affairs, said that during every Ramadhan, all caretakers of mosques coordinated with law enforcers to maintain security while Muslims performed evening prayers during the fasting month.

“They usually coordinate with pecalang [traditional security officers] as well,” he said. In Bali, there are 720 mosques of varying sizes, but they are still unable to accommodate all of Bali’s Muslims, whose numbers authorities believe have likely grown bigger as many of them have not been officially registered.

“They can use multi-function buildings or houses to perform evening prayers, but should always ensure that they don’t use loudspeakers at night, so that their activities do not disturb others.”

The government has not officially announced the start of Ramadhan, but they will conduct a plenary meeting to decide the first day of the fasting month by observing the position of the moon. In Bali, these activities will take place in Tuban, Kuta.
Caretakers of mosques throughout Bali have begun cleaning their buildings, handing out food to poor people and conducting religious forums.