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Muslims in Indonesia Play ‘Pick Your Holiday’ as the Hajj Ends
Nurfika Osman | November 15, 2010

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The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the country’s two largest Muslim organizations have announced different dates for Idul Adha, the Islamic Festival of Sacrifice, causing confusion among some believers.

Muhammadiyah, the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, announced last week that Idul Adha would fall on Tuesday. The government and Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Islamic organization, said it would be on Wednesday.

Fama Zein, 25, said on Sunday that her family had yet to decide when to mark the day.

“Maybe we will see the situation on Monday and then make a decision,” she said. “Most likely we will just follow what most other people are doing.”

There have been no explanations from the government or the Islamic organizations for how they arrived at different dates.

The celebrations begin after hajj pilgrims descend from Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia. Muslims around the world mark the day with animal sacrifices.

Nany Wijaya, a mother of three from Jakarta, said her family would celebrate on Tuesday, as set by Muhammadiyah. That is the day after the pilgrims are expected to have fulfilled the wukuf , a series of rituals that can last for up to five days.

“They will finish their wukuf on the plains of Arafat on Monday. Logically, that means Idul Adha should fall on Tuesday,” she said.

Lukman Haryono, a civil servant, said he would celebrate Idul Adha on Wednesday.

“I will follow the government, as simple as that, as they are my leader,” he said.

At least 2.5 million Muslims, including 221,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, began the annual hajj pilgrimage on Sunday, heading to an encampment near the holy city of Mecca to retrace the route taken by the Prophet Muhammad 14 centuries ago. The path is the same as the Prophet himself took on his last pilgrimage.

The hajj, one of the world’s biggest displays of mass religious devotion and a duty for every able-bodied Muslim, lasts for five days. Many people wait for years to get a visa.


Additional reporting from Reuters