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Church provides 'iftar' meals to remember Surabaya bombings
People from different religious backgrounds came together to remember the victims of the Surabaya bombings.
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Muslims break the fast at the Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday evening, during the commemoration of one year after the Surabaya bombings. (JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana )
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undreds of meal boxes and beverages were prepared for iftar (breaking of the fast) at the Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday evening.
Crowds of Muslims could be seen swarming the church, with churchgoers offering them a popular treat for breaking the fast, kolak -- a type of sweet condiment with coconut milk and palm sugar.
Joining them were hundreds of guests from varying religious backgrounds, who were there to participate in a reflection of the deadly church bombings that took place exactly one year ago in Surabaya.
"We prepared the meals and beverages to respect our brothers and sisters who are currently observing the fast, but still spare the time to join us in our reflection," said Ping Tedja Sukmana, a coordinator at the Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, on Monday evening.
The Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church was one of the three churches attacked by terrorists affiliated with the Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD), a pro-Islamic State group, on May 13 last year.
It was located not so far from two other churches, the Surabaya Pentecostal Church and the Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church (GKI).
A family of six dispersed and detonated the bombs at the three sites at around the same time shortly before Sunday services commenced at the three churches -- killing a total of 25 people, including themselves, while injuring dozens others.
