Two missions play host to their community members in UAE

Dubai - Cutting across faiths, more than 200 Malaysian expatriates from across the UAE gathered in Dubai to mark Eid Al Fitr

The diplomatic missions of Malaysia and Indonesia organised festive gatherings for their respective expatriate communities as part of the Eid Al Fitr celebrations in Dubai on Sunday.
The UAE is home to 7,000 Malaysian expats and nearly 4,000 of them are residing in Dubai and the northern emirates. Meanwhile, an estimated 90,000 Indonesians are living in the UAE with 50,000 of them living in Dubai and the northern emirates.
A boost to 'Muhiba'
Cutting across faiths, more than 200 Malaysian expatriates from across the UAE gathered in Dubai to mark Eid Al Fitr.
The Consulate General of Malaysia in Dubai and Malaysian Business Council (MBC) hosted the event for the expat community at the Malaysian Trade Centre Hall in Dubai on Sunday. The celebration was in line with the public diplomacy programme of the Malaysia Consulate to boost rapport among overseas Malaysians.
Ustaz Norsam Abdul Rahman, Vice-consul of the Education Malaysia office, noted that Malaysia is a multi-religious and multi-cultural country that is made strong by its national ethos called 'Muhibah' which means racial harmony.
During the Eid Al Fitr sermon, he addressed his fellow Muslims and talked about religious tolerance and doing good deeds.
"Faith makes all things possible, hope makes all things work, and love makes all things beautiful," Consul Neermal Shunmugam, who is a Hindu, told Khaleej Times.
He added that Islam is the state religion in Malaysia but everyone there can practise their faith without any hindrance, like in Dubai.
Shahid Abu Bakar, Malaysian consul for agriculture, also wished Muslims and non-Muslims a joyful Eid. "Let's embrace it with pure heart," he said
Malaysian expat and Fujairah resident KC Cheah, who is a Buddhist, also joined his compatriots in the celebration.
"Eid Al Fitr is a reminder that patience, understanding and tolerance will bring more progress to Malaysians wherever they are. Our diverse religion, culture are history are our strength," Cheah said.
Malaysian favourite delicacies such as nasi lemak, mee goreng, roti canai, murtabak and native sweets were served during the Hari Raya Adilfitri (Malaysian term for Eid).
Foodie goodness
The Consulate General of Indonesia in Dubai hosted a festive gathering of around 1,200 Indonesian expats and guests on the first day of Eid Al Fitr. Indonesian food and sweets like the traditional 'lapis legit' (which means 'thousand-layer cake') were served. Indonesian Muslims also paid their zakat and around Dh10,000 was raised and allocated for the needy expats.



 
"Everybody came in their best to enjoy the festive mood of Eid. We all shared Indonesian traditional food prepared and served by experts in their field. The event was also attended by non-Muslims as an expression that Indonesia is a nation where everyone share the same feeling of happiness during Eid," Indonesian consul-general Arzaf Firman told Khaleej Times.

He added that Indonesian expats who were not able to attend the festivities exchanged Eid greetings on social media with pictures of ketupat (rice cake boiled in green coconut leaves) as background to symbolise home.

The special Indonesian menu served at the consulate were: lontong (rice cake), rendang (beef cooked in heavy coconut milk and spices; a must in every Indonesian party), opor ayam (chicken in heavy coconut milk), vegetables in coconut milk sauce, serundeng (dried shredded coconut fried with spices), sambal (chilli paste with dried small shrimp), and krupuk (shrimp crackers).

For dessert, they had Es buah (fruit cocktail in syrup or milk with pandan flavour) and lapis legit, a multi-layer cake, which means layers of flavours, according to the Indonesian top diplomat. Firman said the traditional cake takes several hours to prepare because one has to make "thousands of very thin layers of three different colours and flavours to make the entire cake."

After the sharing of food, Indonesian Muslims paid their and more than Dh10,000 were collected to be distributed to needy members of the Indonesian community.

The consul-general also shared his spiritual advice to his compatriots: "Eid Al Fitr, in the new month of Shawwal, is a time for a self introspection to be a better human being (individually, socially, and religiously), and to enhance one's spirit of communal sense."

"We express our individual regrets for the mistakes done in the past, and we ask for forgiveness, and promise a new beginning by committing not to repeat the same mistakes in the future," Firman underlined.

There are an estimated 90,000 Indonesians living in the UAE with 50,000 of them living in Dubai and the northern emirates. Worlwide, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim majority country as 90 per cent of its 260 million people are Muslim.
angel@khaleejtimes.com