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| The portrait of Elisa Kusno, the alumna of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, who celebrates Eid al-Fitr in Melbourne. (Photo: Istimewa) |
The atmosphere of Eid is still felt although Eid al-Fitr has been over for a week. However, it's not experienced by Elisa Kusno, the alumna of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), who currently pursues her master's degree at Monash University. She says that Eid al-Fitr isn't quite remarkable there. There is even no memorable holiday related to it.
"Alhamdulillah, the Eid coincided with a weekend, so I could hang out with fellow Muslims. It's because, on weekdays, there are no special holidays. If I want to have free time and to be a bit lax, whether I like it or not, I have to ask for permission to work or study," she said.
The woman known as Elisa told one interesting thing during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr there: there will be more Islamic converts. One of the reasons is the number of mosques in Melbourne, which facilitate people to study Islam efficiently.
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Regarding the Eid culture there, there is no habit of sharing Eid envelopes. Interestingly, some of her friends from Pakistan and Bangladesh have unique experiences. They aren't used to praying in mosques or fields in their home countries. The women even can't pray there. Then, the moment of Eid al-Fitr in Melbourne amazed them.
Elisa performed Eid prayer with fellow Indonesians studying there, precisely in a basketball court of a junior high school in Melbourne. She also felt happy because Elisa could find typical Indonesian foods like cooked vegetables with peanut sauce (Trans.: pecel), vegetable fritters, rissole, etc.
"Actually, to find Indonesian foods in Melbourne is quite easy. However, the feeling is different when gathering with people sharing the same nation and country," said the student pursuing a Master of Education in Digital Learning.
Additionally, Elisa told her experience with religious tolerance there. People there respect others' religious beliefs. Even when she is on campus, there is a joint lunch event. Nevertheless, the concept has finally changed since there are some Muslims. Eventually, the food is taken away.
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"This can be a memorable experience for me. Hopefully, it can enlighten me and give me a good lesson to be a true human being," she ended in the interview. (imh/wil)
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