Ramadhan month is always exalted by Muslims across the world as a month for cleaning their own heart; since in this month they have to do fasting means to reduce their desire for eating, drinking, and sexual conduct. Unfortunately, there is one desire that seems very hard to remove: a desire for doing violence and harsh action.
Even though the desire is not conducted by all Muslims, it has successfully given Ramadhan month an opposite essence. It can be clearly seen by what had been done by FPI in Makassar when they did raid upon a restaurant that opened in Ramadhan. What does make it worse is several days ago they vowed to not conduct any harsh action. Another case can be seen in Aceh when Sharia police had to arrest three men for buying food.
The month is then no longer considered as a month full of grace and peace; instead it is the month when extremist can do more harsh action in the name of religion in order to establish the ”true” Ramadhan and many people haunted. Is the condition above really expected and should happen regularly in Ramadhan?
The essence of fasting
A question does rise here: what is the truly essence of fasting in Ramadhan month? Is it true that the aim is to only reduce of flesh desire?
Whatever religion that is used as a basis for conducting fasting, the essence of fasting is never altered absolutely. There will always the same ground where every kind of fasting places its own root. And the ground is fasting is essential for doing reflection. Thus another question does rise: why fasting should be a moment for reflection?
What does lack now is the truly essence for rebuilding one soul to be a better person, not only for himself and religion, but in a broader sense: for their surrounding society. Thus, fasting is a moment for doing a reflection. Have I done something useful for society or on the other hand, had only always done something useless and harsh? That is the question that actually should be answered by those who are conducting fasting.
What is actually conducted in fasting is thus not merely to reduce flesh desire. Furthermore, it is also about how people can control themselves properly. And this can be measured not through them alone; instead through how they treat other. If fasting can only bring hatred feeling toward other especially with using violence, it can be no longer considered as fasting. Fasting in this respect is only appearance. It looks like fasting at outer shell but tainted inside.
Unfortunately, this “appearance” fasting is regularly repeated in Indonesia. Extremist can easily tear down night club, massage house, and other night entertainment place, even restaurant that opens in afternoon. In their view, this kind of activity can defile Ramadhan month. But, is there anyone who can precisely determine the level of purity of Ramadhan month? What is more expected: fasting with harshness and violence upon other or doing fasting with bringing peace with other?
Problem of regulation
Another important issue beside the essence of Ramadhan, which actually lost in the hand of those who conduct violence, is regulation. In Indonesia, many regions regulate that in the Ramadhan month, night entertainment must stop their activities and restaurants should also do the same thing but in more limited times, namely in morning until evening.
This regulation undoubtedly raises many protests since it is considered to give significant contribution to their income depreciation since not every Indonesian conduct fasting so actually they can still earn money in fasting month.
Another reason is raised by people who work at such working house since they have to also suffer lower income, even do not earn money any longer because they cannot work as usual.
Economy thus has become another problem in Ramadhan month.
Hence, what should be done is making a regulation that can compromise with both sides. On one side, the regulation can provide Muslims for conducting their fasting and on the other, it has to also welcome with restaurant and night club business that provides economy condition for several people.
One thing that should be done regarding the regulation is through a win-win solution. Restaurant can operate in Ramadhan month but with some limits that absolutely constraints their appearance in public. This kind of regulation is implicitly applied by many food stalls by using curtain for closing their stall so outer people cannot directly see what is inside.
Regarding night club, what is imperative to be regulated is about operational time. Absolutely closing them in Ramadhan month is considered as a one-sided policy. Thus, regulating their operational time is necessary. These steps can be used as a win-win solution.
Another accentuation should be placed regarding law enforcer role in Ramadhan month. What makes the above problem worse is, as thejakartaglobe.com reported, that police there just gave his concentration upon the traffic jam.
In the future, this kind of harsh domination should be avoided in order to make hard-line mass organizations do not violate the Indonesia constitution. In this respect that law enforcer should have more power to avoid harsh action done in Ramadhan month.
These several steps actually can be applied in every Ramadhan in order to not make fasting a mere appearance of reducing flesh desire act and in reality the soul is not treated properly. What make Ramadhan month purer are not about how many food stalls and night clubs that can be successfully closed down. If those things are always used as a parameter then Ramadhan is always to about appearance.
