Ramadan in the East Java city of Jember will be silent without the sound of firecrackers. They will no longer wake people up for their pre-dawn meal. That's the new rule, and the people must obey it, especially residents of Jember, East Java. Because ulemas (Islamic scholars) of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization have issued a fatwa (religious edict) that lighting firecrackers is forbidden.

The fatwa was issued because this long