Koran revelation lights up ancient mosque

Crowds of peoples on Ampel Mosque.

Friday night saw traffic jams across several cities, compounded in part by crowds of people doing their best in the eyes of Allah, and at least trying to attend the evening tarawih prayers.

Saturday marked the first of the last 10 days of Ramadhan (though Muslims of the Muhammadiyah organization end Ramadhan on Oct. 22).

This period includes the night of Lailatul Qadar, when one's prayers and good deeds is considered more valuable than 1,000 months of good deeds.

Lailatul Qadar is also the night that Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to humankind.

Anyone who does his best is believed to be able to "sense" the arrival of Lailatul Qadar, a gift promised to those who try to live up to Islamic values and conduct, "even if you can't read the Koran", said one ustadz, or teacher.

For those in Surabaya and surrounding areas, the obligatory activity on this night is to flock in the thousands to the ancient mosque of Sunan Ampel, located in the heart of the capital (right) -- no matter if one loses their flip-flops outside the gate to the mosque compound, where the remains of Sunan Ampel lies.

Sunan Ampel is one of Java's famed nine Wali Songo -- the "saints of Islam" who first brought Islam to Java in the late 15th and early 16th centuries -- and it is believed that praying at his grave brings blessings.

The mosque was first built in 1421.

The thousands of pilgrims who converge on the mosque also provide an opportunity for commerce, as seen in the tight rows of stalls vending sarong, prayer beads and other religious accessories in the compound.

'Surabaya Post' fires chief editor

Surabaya's leading newspaper Surabaya Post has dismissed its chief editor Sirikit Syah over an internal conflict only six months after she took up the position.

The leading journalist in Surabaya was officially dismissed this month, as according to the management she was unable to meet the newspaper's vision and mission.

Sirikit confirmed the dismissal with The Jakarta Post, saying that "the termination of the one year contract was agreed to by both sides, as I was considered unable to implement the company's vision and mission".

Surabaya-born Sirikit, who received fellowships from Japan's Nihon Shimbun Kyokai (NSK) in 1988 and also from the Hubert H. Humphrey Foundation in 1994, has always been associated with the communications industry.

Starting her career as a reporter with the Surabaya Post in 1984, where she worked for six years, she later worked as a reporter for two TV stations, RCTI and SCTV. She also worked for the Post while at the same time developing Media Watch, a non-governmental organization that monitors the performance of the press.

Sirikit said the paper needed to make various breakthroughs to survive. "Unfortunately, I disagreed with the breakthrough offered by board of directors, which required journalists to look for ads as well," she said.

She said her disagreement with the proposal was the start of her differences with the paper's directors, which then led to her dismissal.

Surabaya Post was first published by the late A. Azis and his wife, the late Misoetin Agoesdina (Atoety Azis) on April 1, 1953. For many years, the first afternoon newspaper in East Java held a dominant market position within the province. Mismanagement, however, led to its closure on July 22, 2002 but the paper was resurrected in 2003 by the Forum of Employees of Surabaya Post (FKSP).

Sirikit has been replaced by president director Abdurahman J. Bawazier, who denied rumors that Surabaya Post's directors have asked the paper's journalists to seek ads.

"There is no editorial policy that requires Surabaya Post's journalists to also look for ads," he told the Post.

Since the start of her appointment, Sirikit and he had agreed to separate the business side of the paper, he asserted. Sirikit was to take charge of editorial matters, while the directors would work on business development.

"And I saw that Sirikit has given a positive contribution in that area," Abdurahman said.

When asked about her dismissal, he seemed reticent.

"There's an internal conflict that I can't expose since it would be unethical," Abdurahman said, adding that it was only a matter of a difference of opinion and the media organization maintains a good relationship with Sirikit.

He said such dismissals were common and would not affect the paper as it already had a standard system in place.

However, one of the paper's journalists, who was reluctant to be identified, said that the call for journalists to look for ads had been made even before Sirikit joined the paper. The call, he said, was not an obligation. "Most of the journalists refuse to also look for ads, especially since it's not mandatory," he said.

'Back to the Future' in Surabaya Heritage Memory

As in the Michael J. Fox film Back to the Future, a number of young people on the Surabaya Heritage Memory tour recently took an unforgettable journey through space and time.

The 50 young people were given an opportunity to explore the history of Surabaya municipality.

"It is here that one of the leaders of the Dutch troops, Gen. Mallaby, was killed in the battle that raged in November 1945. These old buildings are the silent witnesses to the event," said Amanda, when she and her entourage arrived at one monument.

Surabaya Heritage Memory is held annually by the Tourism Department of Petra Christian University in Surabaya.

While tours of historic sites are not as popular with the general public as they could be, they offer participants the chance to see the old buildings of the Heroes City.

Tour organizer Agoestinus Lis Indrianto said it was rare for outings like the memory tour to be so well attended.

Offering an example, he said, most tours of heritage sites in Jakarta were bus tours not walking tours and attracted only a handful of people.

Historically, Surabaya, the second-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, used to be a mass of land separated from Java island. The silting process that took place in the 11th century constantly broadened this land mass by 15 meters a year so that eventually it merged with Java island.

Owing to its strategic location, this area became a trading center under the name of Ujung Galuh. When Raden Wijaya was the ruler of Majapahit Kingdom, Ujung Galuh got a new name: Churabaya, meaning the courage to resist danger. The Trowulan stone plaque made in the 13th century tells us that it was in Churabaya that Raden Wijaya was involved in a fierce battle against the Tartar troops.

Churabaya continued to develop and later became Surabaya. Again, its strategic location in the coastal area of the Java Sea attracted spice traders from various countries to come to this city.

During the Dutch colonial era, Surabaya was one of the most important cities that they had to control and therefore it was developed to cater for trading interests.

Tanjung Perak harbor, which meets Kali Mas -- a river that also flows to several other towns in East Java -- facilitated spice trading.

"The historical traces of hundreds of years of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia are what we are most interested in," said Agoestinus, adding that Jembatan Petekan (Petekan Bridge) is one of the historic sites that tourists first visit.

This bridge, located in Tanjung Perak (formerly Kalimas) harbor area, automatically opens and closes when a vessel passes. "Petekan" is derived from the Javanese dipetek (pressed), a word referring to an action made before the bridge opens and closes by itself.

Old buildings with European architectural designs are the focus of the tour. During Dutch colonial times, the agrarian law allowed the private sector to have estate land on a lease basis and put up buildings as their administrative center for a period of 75 years. The PT Perkebunan XI building is one example of such an arrangement. It is still in good condition today.

The gray empire-style pillars of the building give it an air of elegance. The domination of the golden yellow and light brown colors in the interior of the two-story building, which was designed by architects Hulswit, Cuypers and Fermot, make it look particularly imposing.

It has "dormer" windows. "Reportedly all the materials for the interior of the building were imported directly from Belgium," said Agoestinus.

The teakwood furniture was crafted using a combination of Javanese and European designs and sets off nicely a glass mosaic depicting the arrival of the Dutch in Banten. There are also indoor murals titled Labor and The Fruits of Labor, both illustrating Javanese plantation workers.

Of no less interest is another old building now used as the office of Telkom Divre V Surabaya. Built in 1915, it may be regarded as Surabaya's first modern building.

In addition, there are dozens of other heritage sites such as the Nuts-Spaarbank building, which was once the office of Nederlands Spaarbank (now Bank of Indonesia) in 1914; The House of Sampoerna, an old building now reconstructed into a cigarette factory and a tobacco warehouse owned by Sampoerna cigarette-manufacturer; the Majapahit Hotel and the Grahadi State Building.

Chinese tourist Yan Ying said she was really impressed by the tour.

"This is my first trip to Surabaya and I've found much here of interest."

Christy Widyawati, 18, gave a similar response, "I can only say one word 'great!'."

"In fact, all Surabaya residents should be familiar with the history of their city," said Amanda. "But how much longer can this city maintain its old buildings?"

As the years go by, these old buildings may crumble and their histories be forgotten while shopping centers are built all around them.

"At least, this tour stirs awareness among youngsters about the significance of preserving heritage sites," Agoestinus said.