Season 2 Episode 4 special edition during COVID-19 pandemic
Level of Indonesian and English fluency: Intermediate to Advanced
Indonesian Version
Sekali waktu saya shalat Jumat di Masjid Al-Ittihaad, di Sungailiat, Bangka. Masjid yang diresmikan tahun 2005 ini cukup besar menampung hingga 500 jamaah. Umat Islam memang mayoritas di Bangka sekitar 85%, selebihnya menganut Kristen, Kong Hu Chu, Buddha dan Katolik. Namun, kerukunan beragama di pulau ini sudah berjalan sejak abad ke-18 saat para pekerja dari Guangdong, Cina didatangkan oleh Belanda untuk menggarap tambang timah.
Para pekerja ini kemudian menikahi perempuan-perempuan Melayu Bangka melahirkan Cina keturunan yang masih banyak terlihat di Bangka hingga hari ini. Sebagian besar memeluk Islam dan sebagian lagi tetap beragama Kong Hu Chu. Kerukunanpun terjalin dengan harmonis di antara mereka. Masjid dan kelenteng bersanding di Bangka bukanlah pemandangan yang aneh.
Misalnya, Masjid Jami di Muntok, Bangka Barat dibangun bersama oleh kaum Muslim dan etnis Cina, bahkan warga Cina ini juga menyumbangkan bahan bangunan untuk membangun masjid tersebut. Di samping masjid, telah berdiri lebih dari 80 tahun sebuah kelenteng Kong Fuk Miau, sebuah pemandangan yang sangat harmonis.
Begitu juga saat Lebaran. Warga Muslim mengantarkan ketupat lebaran ke tetangganya yang Cina beragama Buddha atau Kong Hu Chu. Sebaliknya, saat Imlek tetangga yang keturunan Cina mengantar kue keranjang, atau yang biasa disebut thiampan, ke tetangganya yang Muslim. Bahkan, saat Lebaran warga Cina keturunan ini datang ke rumah tetangganya yang Muslim untuk membantu memasak di dapur untuk menyambut Lebaran.
Rasa menjunjung tinggi tenggang rasa dan kerukunan antar masyarakat juga diterapkan pada nilai-nilai kehidupan sehari-hari. Keakraban terjalin dari hal-hal kecil seperti saling mengunjungi ketika hari raya tiba.
Walaupun isu rasisme dan konflik antar agama di Indonesia agak memanas, namun kerukunan dan saling menghormati antar agama di Bangka ini tetap terjaga hingga hari ini.
Mudah-mudahan kerukunan beragama di Bangka ini bisa terlihat dan berkembang juga di daerah-daerah lain dan semakin marak.
Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri!
English Version (3:10)
Once, Irawan did his Friday prayers at the Al-Ittihaad Mosque, in Sungailiat, Bangka. The mosque which was inaugurated in 2005 is big enough to hold up to 500 worshippers. Moslems make up the majority in Bangka, about 85%, the rest are Christians, Confucianists, Buddhists and Catholics. But the religious peace on the island has been going on since the 18th century, when migrant workers from Guangdong, China, were brought in by the Dutch to work in the lead mines.
These workers then married Malay Bangka women, giving birth to the many Chinese-descendant people who can still be found in Bangka till today. Most of them are moslems and some of them are still Confucianist. There has always been peace and harmony between the two faiths. A mosque and a temple standing side by side in Bangka is a normal sight.
For example, the Jami Mosque in Muntok, West Bangka was built together by the Moslems and the Chinese; the Chinese even also donated the building materials to build the mosque. Next to the mosque, the temple Kong Fuk Miau has stood for more than 80 years, a very harmonious sight indeed.
During the moslem’s Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the moslems would deliver the diamond-shaped rice cakes to the Buddhist or Confucianist Chinese neighbors. Vice versa, during the Chinese New Year holiday, the Chinese-descendant people would deliver the basket-shaped Chinese new year cake (usually called “thiampan” to their moslem neighbors. During the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the Chinese-descendant people would even help their moslem neighbors cook in their kitchens to prepare for the holiday.
Social tolerance and harmony among the people also apply in their everyday life values. Solidarity and closeness stem from small actions such as visiting each other during their respective religious holidays.
Although racism and religious conflicts in Indonesia have been getting worse, the peace and religious tolerance in Bangka is still in place till today.
Hopefully the religious tolerance in Bangka can be seen, grow and also flourish in other areas.
Happy Eid!
This is a story from Irawan Nugroho. He is originally from Semarang, Indonesia, grew up in Manokwari, Papua, studied in Solo, worked in Jakarta then America in 1994. He currently lives in Fairfax, VA, as a freelance writer, interpreter and journalist.
VOCABULARIES
Jamaah: worshippers
Bersanding: next to each other
Keturunan: descendant
Lebaran: Eid Al-Fitr
Menjunjung: uphold
Tenggang rasa: tolerance
Terjalin: woven / tied
Memanas: getting hotter
Marak: bloom
Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra
The Indonesian language used here is in the daily-conversation format, that has influences from the local culture and custom. Should you have questions on the more formal version, please consult with your guru Bahasa Indonesia.