Indonesians, Malaysians celebrate Eid in Dubai

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Indonesians, Malaysians celebrate Eid in Dubai

Residents from different ethnic groups joined in the celebrations.

by

Angel Tesorero

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Published: Tue 21 Aug 2018, 4:45 PM

Last updated: Tue 21 Aug 2018, 11:30 PM

Indonesian and Malaysian expats joined the Muslim faithful in celebrating Eid Al Adha with fervent prayers and joyful celebrations across Dubai on Tuesday.
Over at the Indonesian Consulate, the celebration, also known as Feast of the Sacrifice or Greater Eid, started with the Eid Al Adha prayer at 6.12am followed by a sermon by Ustadz Mursalin, who used the opportunity to call for solidarity among Indonesians. "We come from various ethnic groups and various religious backgrounds but we are Bangsa (One) Indonesia," he emphasised during his sermon.
Dubai resident and Indonesian expat Cinta Budiarsya said the meaning of Eid, for her, is about "family, sacrifice and togetherness."
"Our family has been celebrating Eid in Dubai for 14 years now and we usually celebrate it by joining our Indonesian brothers and sisters at the Consulate for prayers. We love the community spirit and togetherness," Budiarsya said.
Another Indonesian expat, Dr Yanti Damayanti, also joined in the morning prayers. She added:  "Eid celebrations also means preparing and cooking our favourite Indonesian cuisine to have a taste of home-cooked foods."  

"But it is not just about celebration, Eid is also about solidarity and we fervently pray for those who were affected by recent calamities in Indonesia and India," Damayanti told Khaleej Times. 
Indonesian Indonesian consul-general Ridwan Hassan explained: "Eid is a celebration of happiness and occasion to mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and in commemoration of Prophet Abraham's (peace be upon him) readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God." 
"Eid is a good moment for us to share our solidarity with our Indonesian fellowmen who suffered from the recent series of earthquakes in Lombok and our Indian brothers and sisters who were devastated by the floods in Kerala," Consul-general Hassan noted. 
On Sunday, at least 14 people died in Lombok after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through the Indonesian resort-island, just two weeks after a major tremor killed more than 460 people.
The top Indonesian diplomat also joined the other Southeast Asian consuls-general who called on their respective citizens to rally and provide concrete help for the flood-stricken Indian state of Kerala.
Malaysian consul-general Yubazlan Yusof also called on his Malaysian compatriots gathered at the Malaysian Trade Centre in Bur Dubai to contribute to the international efforts for the rehabilitation of Kerala. 
Consul-general Yusof likewise commended the wide coverage of Khaleej Times on the Kerala floods and called on his fellow Malaysians to "liberally and wholeheartedly donate to the UAE Red Crescent or send donations through SMS via du and etisalat." 
The Malaysian diplomat's daughter, Nurin Yubazlan, 17, meanwhile, talked about Eid as a time to boost international solidarity, peace, love and unity among peoples of the world. 
"Because on this day (Eid), Muslims of various cultural backgrounds get to unite together. This is a beautiful holiday because Islam is a religion that does not have a specific country. People come together and celebrate our religion by maintaining peace with one another and not just among Muslims but with people of other religious communities as well," added the Grade 12 student at a GEMS school. 
The new Malaysian Trade consul, Omar Mohd Salleh, who arrived in Dubai two months ago, hosted the celebrations at the Malaysian Trade Centre. 
The Malaysian expats partook of their food and delicacies including karipap (Malaysian version of samosa, a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried pastry shell); Kueh lapis (traditional sweet snack of colourful layered rice flour pudding); Nasi lemak (fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf with anchovies) and chicken and beef satay.
angel@khaleejtimes.com


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