CNN Indonesia
Tuesday, 19 Mar 2024 20:18 IWST
Ragnar Oratmangoen converted to Islam when he was 15 years old. (CNNIndonesia/Abdul Susila)
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Ragnar Oratmangoennew player Indonesian National teamtells the story of his journey to embracing Islam as a teenager when he was 15 years old.
Oratmangoen was born in the city of Oss, Netherlands on January 21 1998. Both his parents had Indonesian ancestry from his grandfather. Since childhood, Oratmangoen has also been a Christian.
When he was 14 years old, while still studying at a football academy, there was a friend who was Muslim. This friend invited Oratmangoen to visit the mosque where he prayed several times.
From these visits, Oratmangoen discussed divinity and religion. From there, little Oratmangoen found comfort in living his life.
“No, I was not born a Muslim. I was raised as a Christian, but as I grew up, I found my way to Islam,” said Oratmangoen.
“It seems like [saya masuk Islam] at the age of 15 years. “So I’ve also been through Ramadan for 10-11 years,” said the striker player when met at the Fairmont Hotel, Tuesday (19/3).
For him, Islam helps him in living his life. Like European culture in general, religion in the Netherlands is a matter of privacy. This meant that Oratmangoen’s family did not forbid him from embracing Islam.
“My friends often took me to the mosque. They taught me about God and how this religion can help in life. That touched me and finally decided to become a Muslim,” he said.
Even though he has been embracing Islam for a long time, Oratmangoen has only recently visited Indonesia. And, this Ramadhan is the first time to experience the atmosphere of Ramadhan in Jakarta.
The Fortuna Sittard player admitted that he was amazed by the fasting culture in Indonesia. Everyone respects each other and many religious activities are carried out during Ramadan.
“This is the first time I heard it [azan] while at the training ground. I heard the call to prayer during practice and I thought it was very beautiful. “I’m happy to be able to hear the call to prayer and feel this atmosphere,” he said.
Ragnar just arrived at the Indonesian National Team training camp on Monday (18/3). After that, Ragnar underwent an oath procession, followed by processing his KTP and passport.
With all these things completed, Oratmangoen had the opportunity to debut with the Indonesian National Team against Vietnam. It depends on Shin Tae Yong’s decision.
The Indonesian national team will play two matches this March. The first is against Vietnam at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on Thursday (21/3) and the second is in Hanoi on Tuesday (26/3).
(abs/jun)
2024-03-19 13:18:35
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