People Glad To Be Able to Celebrate Eid Simultaneously

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian Muslims are glad to be able to celebrate Eid together this year regardless of being part of different organizations.

"It is good. So, we Muslims could unite and celebrate Lebaran (Eid) together," Ahmad Yon (47) remarked in the courtyard of Al Furqan mosque in Kramat, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

Yon is one of the members of "Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia" (the Indonesia Islamic Propagation Council -DDII), an Islamic mass organization holding an Eid prayer at the mosque.

He affirmed that by celebrating Eid together, Muslims demonstrated their unity and cohesion.

"I hope this will continue. (We are) united. NU, Muhammadiyah, and Persis conduct Eid prayers together. It gives us a sense of pride to witness it," he remarked.

Heru (28), a Muhammadiyah member who performed Eid prayer on the road beside the DDII office, seconded Yon's view.

"We used to do it on different days, but now, we do it on the same day. It is nice. We feel the sense of togetherness," he stated.

He hoped that the unity among Muslims celebrating Eid could strengthen their cohesiveness.

The government declared the fall of Eid on Friday based on moon sightings in four different locations.

"Of the several teams in charge of conducting moon sightings across Indonesia, four reported sighting the crescent moon from four locations, and based on this information, we declared that we entered the 1 Syawal 1436 tonight, and tomorrow, we can perform Eid prayers," Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin noted during a press conference on Thursday evening following a meeting to determine the date of Eid.

The sighting was monitored in Gresik, Lamongang and Bojonegoro in East Java, and Kepulauan Seribu (Jakarta).

The minister expressed gratitude that Eid could be celebrated simultaneously on the same day.

"Muslims will celebrate 1 Syawal and perform Eid prayers together tomorrow at 7 a.m. local time," he added. (WDY)