The atmosphere full of kinship was seen when I attended breaking fast with the Yogyakarta Ahmadiyya Congregation
Haris Fatwa April 17, 202363
The atmosphere full of kinship was seen when I attended breaking fast with the Yogyakarta Ahmadiyya Congregation on Sunday (16/4/2023). There are various menus there, ranging from fruit ice, dates, pastels, steamed sponge cake, to water. There are two types of water, glasses and gallons.
The buber was held in a luxurious building in Kotabaru, Gondokusuman, Yogyakarta. Not just any building, the four-story building is the Fadhli Umar Mosque, a mosque managed by the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation (JAI) Yogyakarta. I had visited there last year. At that time, I was invited to the inauguration of the mosque in the latter half of 2022.
I am amazed. The mosque has four floors, each of which has a different function. The first floor is a parking area and reception area. The second floor functions as the main mosque and meeting place . The third floor is a hall for female congregations and dormitories for congregations living in the mosque. The fourth floor contains a hall as a meeting room and large events . Today, I had the opportunity to come back to the Fadhli Umar Mosque to attend an iftar together with the Ahmadiyya Yogyakarta brothers.
I came around half past five. The congregation was already in the hall of the mosque. The women are already on the third floor of the mosque. No need to worry because the third floor balcony opens to view the minbar and half of the mosque on the second floor. While the male congregation is on the second floor, facing directly with the preacher who is filling out the Kultum before breaking the fast.
“For those who have just arrived, please come in and take your seats,” the Mubaligh greeted us in between his sermons.
We smiled and nodded then sat cross-legged. Seeing that other congregations were opening the Koran, I immediately took out the holy book of Islam 4.0 from my bag, Qur’an for Android . That evening’s cult was filled with a study of Surah Adz-Dzariyat, from the tajwid to its content.
The clock hands show 17:40. The call to prayer completes the closing ceremony. We were invited to enter the hall beside the mosque to enjoy the various dishes that had been served. As mentioned, there are dates, fruit ice, pastels, and steamed cakes. A mother also then came in carrying a pot full of hot tea.
The Ahmadiyya leaders and congregation were seen chatting casually while eating the food. At that time, our presence added to the variety of identities at the event. I am an NU Islam, there is Umbu, a devout Christian from NTT, then my friend, an Indonesian Ahmadiyah congregation from Bogor who also lives in the mosque.
After maghrib prayer, we continued chatting while eating grilled chicken provided by the mosque. There were no barriers between us at that time. The atmosphere of iftar with a close family feel can be felt. Pak Murtiyono Yusup, the preacher of the cult, greeted us kindly while asking where we were from.
It is commonly known that the Ahmadiyya Congregation is one of the communities that often receives discriminatory treatment in several regions of Indonesia. This treatment even tends to lead to physical persecution that ends in anarchism and crime. However, this is not the case in Yogyakarta. An atmosphere full of kinship can be established between religious groups here.
“Sir, are Ramadan events like this common or only internal?” I asked a member of the congregation whom I later learned was named Mr. Kamal.
” No sir, this is for the public. Anyone can come. We have good relations with the people here. So all activities held at this mosque are of course open to the public,” he said.
“This mosque also holds Eid prayers, sir?” I continued asking.
“Yes, and it’s also open to everyone,” said Mr. Kamal. I immediately imagined, when will the Eid prayer be held in the four-floor building again?
He then talked a lot about the positive acceptance of the people of Yogyakarta, especially Muslims, towards the Ahmadiyya congregation. He compared it to his hometown, Cirebon, which was very hard on Ahmadiyah teachings. I’m not surprised. West Java is indeed the basis of hardline Islam. Some areas, such as Depok, Banten and Cirebon, are central points where acts of intolerance often occur.
“That’s right, sir, Jogja is relatively friendly to newcomers. In general, Islamic sects in Jogja have interacted a lot with each other due to Jogja’s status as an overseas city,” I as an akamsi explained.
The proof, the representative of the Ministry of Religion of the Special Province of Yogyakarta, Dr. H. Halili M.Sc. in his remarks at the inauguration of the mosque, he also expressed his joy at the completion of the construction of the Fadhli Umar Mosque. He even hoped that one of the rooms in the mosque could become a facility for organizing marriage guidance for the general public.
I want to emphasize that the people of Jogja in general are already sensitive to diversity. It is true that there are still one or two acts of intolerance. But in general, especially in urban areas, the people of Jogja generally embrace diversity.
Not long after, the evening call to prayer resounded. My friends and I asked permission to leave the mosque. After saying goodbye and saying thank you, an Ahmadiyah friend suddenly handed me a large plastic bag,
“Here, take it home,” he said.
In addition to bringing experience, we ended up bringing four large boxes of roasted chicken left over from breaking fast, which turned out to be still a lot. We are of course happy. We went down using the elevator, took the motorbike, and left the Kotabaru complex.
The conversation before breaking the fast concluded many things. We agree that the intolerant attitude shown by some of our society stems from a wrong interpretation of Ahmadiyah followers. Not on his teachings, but on his human figure.
Many of them consider the Ahmadiyya followers to be exclusive, introverted, and dangerous. In fact, it is nothing more than their excessive fanatical attitude and radical mindset towards what they believe. The image they convey is easily refuted through the warmth of breaking the fast together today at the Ahmadiyya Congregation’s Mosque in Yogyakarta.