GIWANGAN, Indonesia – Thousands of Muslims flocked into mosques across Indonesia on Friday, June 2, for the first Friday prayers since last weekend's powerful quake that rattled the world's most populous Muslim nation.

"We're praying for those who died," said 30-year-old Jonathan Adam while spilling out of the Ja'far Al-Basyir mosque on the edge of quake-devastated Yogyakarta, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

More than 6,200 people were killed and thousands went homeless when a 6.3-magnitude quake jolted Indonesia's island of Java on Saturday, May 27.

The tremor was centered just off the Indian Ocean coast near Yogyakarta, the former Javanese royal capital.

In the village of Giwangan on Yogyakarta's southern outskirts, worshippers crammed into a small green mosque as adhan (call to prayer) sounded out.

"We want to make peace inside by praying and being closer to God," said local merchant Iskak, 40.

Before the imams delivered his sermons, a special prayer leaflet was distributed entitled "Disaster and How to Face It."

International humanitarian aid and foreign medical teams have begun pouring into Indonesia's disaster zone to offer aid to thousands driven homeless by the quake.

The United Nations said on Friday, June 2, it had launched a $103 million plan to bring aid to more than 200,000 people seriously affected by the quake.

The plan includes providing emergency shelter, medical assistance, clean water and sanitation, food and child protection for the quake survivors.

Valuable Life

In the nearby village of Jati-Wonokromo, hundreds of worshippers gathered under a blue tarpaulin held up by metal poles about 100 meters away from the damaged two-story mosque while others kneeled on prayer mats.

"I feel that my life is more valuable because my life has been given to me by God," said Sukasdi, a 51-year-old police officer.

"I feel much closer to God and I can face the situation in a more peaceful way."

Sukasdi lost his cousin in Saturday's quake, while his father's home was flattened and his own house was seriously damaged.

In the capital Jakarta, thousands of Muslim worshippers also held a special prayer for the quake victims at the city's main Istiqlal mosque after the Friday prayers.

Moral Strength

Imam Ahmad Ridwan traveled the 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Bandung three days ago to perform prayers with needy villagers in Jati-Wonokromo.

He brought with him plastic sheets, underwear, diapers, prayer sarongs and other supplies for the poor villagers.

The imam said his sermon about facing the disaster "may not be 100 percent successful for making peace.

"But it may give people the feeling of friendship and solidarity, which we have to develop," he added.

"As part of our religious activities, it is an obligation to give moral strength, to give the feeling we still have friends and family in this life so we don't feel so alone after the disaster."

Ridwan said Saturday's quake likely had two lessons; teaching people about the "instability of nature" and serving as a "warning to people not to be so selfish".

thank you for the post and iformation
my prayers are with them

It must so hard for these people. May Allah give them patience, and help them through their difficulties.

This is a prayer request from tearfund.org :

Indonesia earthquake
Survivors of the earthquake that hit Indonesia on Saturday still desperately need shelter, clean water and medicine. The quake, measuring 6.3 on the Richer scale, killed more than 5,000 people on the island of Java.

An estimated 200,000 people have been left homeless, thousands of them are injured. Hospitals are overflowing with the injured and are running out of basics such as pain-killers and antibiotics. Heavy rain has been hampering the delivery of aid to some of the more remote villages.

Several of our partners have already travelled to Yogyakarta, one of the cities worst affected by the quake. They are helping in hospitals and assessing what else they can do to help. ‘Churches and youth group members in Yogyakarta are helping people who have not yet received major help,’ reports Agustin Samosir of Indonesian Baptist Aid.

Meanwhile Tearfund staff already working in Indonesia on tsunami recovery are carrying out a rapid needs assessment in Yogyakarta which will inform their response. They plan to work as part of the United Nations (UN) relief effort.

The UN has shipped over three field hospitals along with medical supplies and a generator. Relief goods and medical teams have been arriving from around the world. The government of Indonesia has declared a three month state of emergency and has promised that each affected family will get food and compensation money.

John Samuel, who heads up Tearfund’s tsunami response programme in Indonesia says, ‘People here in Indonesia are worried and fearful. This earthquake struck less than 18 months after the tsunami.’

Please pray for all the victims and their families; pray too for the teams helping those affected, that they would be well co-ordinated and able to respond appropriately.

Peace.

Indonesia's City of Soul Mourns

http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1718_0_25_0_C35

Irfan Yusuf explores the history of the Jogja region of Indonesia, which is reeling from a major earthquake that has taken over 5,000 lives.

If you wish to discover the real spirit of Indonesia, you need to look beyond the beaches and nightclubs of Bali. You also have to look beyond the traffic jams of Jakarta or the art deco conference halls of Bandung. Indonesia's real cultural and spiritual heart is Jogja.

Like their Aussie neighbours in the global village, Indonesians love to abbreviate names. "Jogja" is the shortened name for Yogyakarta, the historical capital of an old Javanese Sultanate and the hub of ancient and modern Indonesian culture.

But, as a result of the recent earthquake, large parts of Jogja and surrounding villages have been transformed into hills of rubble. At the time of writing, the death toll has climbed well over 5,000.

Visiting the City of Soul

In January this year I was part of a delegation of five young Australians on a leadership exchange program sponsored by the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII). We spent almost a week of our 14-day tour in Jogja. (Currently, a number of young Indonesian leaders are visiting Australia, including at least one with family in Jogja.)

During our pre-trip briefing by AII officials, we were told we'd probably find Jogja more laid-back compared to the rush of the capital Jakarta. Jogja is a university town, with over 50 institutions of higher education. It is also a place of fine arts, culture and music.

By day, the streets outside the universities and in the heart of town are filled with food stalls. By night, the food stalls become tent cities where locals and tourists sit on the ground to savour the local culinary delights.

Our delegation dined in one of these tents one night. We were entertained by a small group of buskers consisting of a guitarist as lead singer and two backing vocalists, playing and singing everything from the Beatles to Bon Jovi.

One City, Many Faiths

We also visited a number of universities including the famous Gadjah Mada State University, ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world. There, we visited a special research centre devoted to interfaith studies. We also visited a women's research institute devoted to improving the status of Indonesian women and run wholly by Muslim women.

Jogja is a progressive and open-minded town. Transsexual musicians openly walk the streets even during the day. Our delegation visited a private university managed by Protestant Christians and catering for Jogja's large Christian community.

A large number of NGO's operate in Jogja. Among them is Interfidei, an organisation managed by people of all faiths devoted to promoting religious tolerance. An Interfidei t-shirt shows a young child asking the question, "Mummy, what is God's religion?" One Muslim Interfidei activist told us of her project to have Indonesia's tiny Jewish community receive official recognition by the government of this, the world's largest Muslim country.

Rifka Annisa

We also visited an NGO managed by Muslim women's activists. Called the Rifka Annisa, the organisation runs a crisis centre and refuge for women and children who are victims of domestic and other violence.

The workers of Rifka Annisa educate and lobby governments, judges, religious organisations and community leaders on issues relating to violence against women. Their crisis centre provides counselling and support services to women of all faiths and from all sectors of Jogja society.

Rifka Annisa workers told us of their most painful work in Jogja's red light district. They told us of otherwise religiously observant women of all faiths forced by poverty to become sex workers, either on the streets or in brothels. Many such women suffer violence at the hands of clients including a large number of foreign tourists.

During our Q & A session, I asked the Rifka Annisa workers whether they faced resistance from conservative sectors of Indonesian society. One told me: "If we were in Jakarta or elsewhere, that might happen. But Jogja is different. People here aren't afraid of reality."

Respecting Cultural Heritage

Perhaps the most awesome experience was watching a ballet of the ancient Hindu epic known as the Ramayana. The ballet was performed in a small auditorium in the shadow of an ancient complex of Hindu temples. Part of the temple was damaged in the recent earthquake.

The Ramayana is the story of an Indian prince Rama whose wife Sita (or "Cinta" in Indonesian) is kidnapped by a demon Ravana. Rama fights Ravana with the assistance of an army of monkeys and rescues his princess.

The birthplace of Rama is a North Indian town known as Ayodhya. This has been the scene of bloody rioting between Hindus and Muslims after a mosque there was destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992.

The Ramayana story may be the basis for rioting in Lord Rama's birthplace. But in the city of Jogja, Muslim artists regularly perform the Ramayana ballet in the shadow of the city's Hindu temple and to a mostly Muslim audience.

The Followers of Muhammad

And in case anyone thought Jogja was just a place for Muslims to celebrate Hinduism, it is important to note that Jogja was also the place where the orthodox Muhammadiyah movement was founded in November 1912.

The movement was started by Shaykh Ahmad Dahlan in the humble Kauman district of Jogja. Its emphasis was on al-Maun, a concept of small kindnesses expressed in Chapter 107 of the Qur'an. The Shaykh taught his young students this chapter of the Qur'an repeatedly, telling them that the essence of Islam is to serve and care for others and to be aware of the needs of the broader community.

Shaykh Dahlan established this small movement, hardly 3,500-strong at the time of his death in 1923. Today, it has a membership of over 29 million, making it one of the largest Islamic organisations in the world.

Pray and Donate

The vibrant, progressive and lively city of Jogja is now overcome with grief following the massive loss of life from the recent earthquake. Yet for anyone who has spent time in Jogja, it isn't hard to imagine this cultural heartland of Indonesia reviving itself from amongst the rubble.

Yet this revival needs our help. A number of aid agencies are already working in Jogja. These include Islamic Relief and local Indonesian organisations. Our prayers should go to those who are left homeless and have lost loved ones. But prayers need to be combined with hard cash.

One Australian Dollar equates to some 7,000 Rupiah. We are fortunate that even our spare change could make a world of difference to the inhabitants of Indonesia's City of Soul.

Irfan Yusuf is a lawyer and writer based in Sydney, Australia. He is also an occasional lecturer at the School of Politics at Sydney's Macquarie University. He can be contacted at iyusuf@sydneylawyers.com.au