owing to pressure from Muslim organizations, the Jakarta administration decided on Monday to move a mass tarawih (evening Ramadhan prayers) from the National Monument (Monas) to the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, which are in Central Jakarta.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said the mass prayer would still be held on May 26, but the venue would be moved from Monas to the nearby grand mosque, as suggested by the ulemas.
“In religious matters, we listen to what the ulema say. Therefore we will move the religious event to Istiqlal,” Anies said at City Hall, adding that the city administration had coordinated with the management of the grand mosque regarding the organization of the mass prayer.
Previously, the administration announced that the Ramadhan event -- expected to be attended by up to 30,000 Muslims from across the capital -- would be held at Monas, which has hosted several Islamic ceremonies and sermons since late last year.
Anies lifted the ban on people holding cultural events and religious rites at Monas in November last year, saying that the capital’s icon should be accessible to all residents.
(Read also: Better to hold night prayer at mosques than Monas, MUI suggests)
Large Muslim organizations in the country, including the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), have discouraged the city administration from holding Ramadhan prayers at Monas and instead called on the administration to relocate it to mosques.
“Monas is not only owned by Muslims.
“We are afraid there will be competition among people from various religions to make use of public facilities for their activities,” said NU’s head of law affairs, Robikin Emhas. (wit)
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