Govt announces Sunday as the first day of Ramadan

Jakarta, NU Online
Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry has set Sunday as the government’s official start of Ramadan.<>

Lukman H. Saifuddin made the announcement at a press conference and the video was linked to his Twitter account.

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization with at least 30 million followers, had already announced that the fasting month begins at midnight tonight. The group announces its starting date independently of the government.

Nahdlatul Ulama — the largest Islamic organization with closer to 90 million adherents — sets its Ramadan date in conference with officials at the religious ministry. 

It is common in Indonesia for family members to follow different Islamic organizations, meaning some begin to fast a day before their relatives begin their observation of the holy month. 

Meanwhile, Jamaat Tarekat Naqsabandiyah followers in Padang, West Sumatra, said the first day of Ramadan was on Friday, conducting tarawih prayers — special prayers conducted only during Ramadan — on Thursday night.

Entertainment sites — nightclubs and pubs — are prohibited to operate during the Ramadan.

Arie Budhiman, the head of Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency, states that the agency will ensure that the entertainment businesses that were told to close during Ramadan will do so.

Budhiman says that the temporary closing of entertainment places is based on law Number 10/2004 on tourism and Gubernatorial Decree Number 98/2004 concerning entertainment places time of operations.

He demands that all owners of entertainment businesses follow this rule in order to protect Ramadan’s sanctity.

“We have to respect those who are fasting.” Budhiman says.

If owners of bars and clubs disobey the rule they can be given a verbal or written warning or even face temporary or full closure by the government.

Jakarta’s Tourism Agency found that the city has 9,719 entertainment sites, including 239 star hotels, 170 non-star hotels, 48 motels and 3,268 food related sites.

Only 915 bars and clubs are permitted to operate during Ramadan, but with limited operating hours, from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Approximately 33 percent of Jakarta’s entire night life scenes are forbidden to operate for the month, according to the Jakarta Tourism Agency.

However, other entertainment sites like restaurants, cinemas, salons, zoos and gyms are allowed to operate during their normal hours.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq