January 27, 1996
Web posted at: 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT)
From Correspondent Maria Ressa
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Visiting the graves of family members is a yearly ritual for many Muslims in Southeast Asia. The tradition is dutifully performed the day before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
But in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, it is an informal custom -- fundamentalists and purists say it is not part of traditional Islamic faith.
"Visiting a cemetery is totally un-Islamic," says Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid. "They don't allow it at all."
Still for many Southeast Asian Muslims -- like 25-year-old Firman Moeis and his family -- honoring the dead is an Asian custom that has become part of their religion.
"I come here to remember my grandparents," explains Moeis, while his wife Dewi says that the custom "reminds us that we also die." (94K AIFF sound or 94K WAV sound)
Ramadan is the month Muslims take to remind themselves of their spiritual link to God. From dawn to dusk, they refrain from eating, drinking or having sexual intercourse. To Muslims, fasting has a transcendental meaning. As one of the five pillars, or basic institutions, of Islam, fasting encourages self-control and discipline.
"Fasting is very, very private," explains Madjid. "You will never know if a person fasts or not." (230K AIFF sound or 230K WAV sound)
Muslims are also encouraged to be more charitable during Ramadan, a practice that brings an influx of beggars to Jakarta at this time of year.
Whatever local customs may have been added, Ramadan for Muslims in Indonesia -- as it is for Muslims elsewhere -- is a time for self-contemplation . Everywhere, the holy month is a time for Muslims to reflect on their lives and their connection to the spiritual world.
But in Indonesia, Ramadan is also a social phenomenon affecting all parts of daily life.
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