Arab Indonesian
Encyclopedia
Arab Indonesians are citizens of Indonesia
of Arab
, mainly Hadrami
, descent. Restricted under Dutch East Indies' law until 1919, the community elites later gained economic power through real estate investment and trading. Currently found mainly in Java and South Sumatra, they are almost all (generally orthodox) Muslims.
for hundreds of years, prior to the emergence of Islam in Indonesia
. Most contact was with spice traders, but the first Arab settlements in the archipelago may date from the fifth century. Some later founded dynasties, including the Sultanate of Pontianak
, while others intermingled with existing kingdoms. These early communities adopted much of the local culture, and some disappeared entirely while others formed ethnically distinct communities.
Modern Arab Indonesians are generally descended from Hadramis
who came to Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period
and married native women. They were classified as "foreign orientals" along with Chinese Indonesians, which led to them being unable to attend certain schools and restricted from travelling, and having to settle in special Arab districts, or kampung Arab. These laws were repealed in 1919.
The community elites began to build economic power through trade and real estate acquisition, buying large amounts of real estate in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta
), Singapore and other parts of the archipelago. Through charity work and "conspicuous consumption", they built and protected their social capital
; eventually, some Arab Indonesians joined the Volksraad
, the people's council of the Dutch East Indies.
During the Indonesian National Awakening
, Arab Indonesians began to experience hostility from native Indonesians owing to their foreign descent; they also experienced hostility from the Dutch. This led to the formation of organizations exclusively for Arab Indonesians beginning in 1913; these organizations viewed
the Arabian peninsula
as a homeland and tended to ignore Indonesia. An Indonesian nationalistic movement, Persatoean Arab Indonesia, was founded by Abdurrahman Baswedan
in 1934, eventually leading to a "cultural reorientation".
Indonesian scholar Azyumardi Azra
depicts Indonesians of Arab descent as wishing to purge Indonesian Islam of its indigenous religious elements. Indonesian critics of Arab influence in Indonesia point to the founding of the radical group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and leadership of Laskar Jihad
(LJ) and Front Pembela Islam by Indonesian Arabs, and after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center
in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombing
, the community came under suspicion.
. A sizable minority live in South Sumatra
.
, 98.27 percent of Arab Indonesians are Muslim, compared to 88.22 percent of the general population. Historically, most have lived in kauman, or the area around mosques, but this has changed in recent years. The majority are Sunni, following the Shafi'i
school of Islamic law
; a growing minority are Shia. Children are generally sent to madrasah
s.
The Islam practiced by Arab Indonesians tends to be more orthodox than the local, indigenous-influenced forms like abangan
. Many Arab Indonesians attempt to convince local Muslims to follow a more orthodox form of Islam as well.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, mainly Hadrami
Hadhrami people
The Hadhrami or Hadharem are people from the Hadhramaut and their descendants in diaspora communities around the world. They speak Hadhrami Arabic....
, descent. Restricted under Dutch East Indies' law until 1919, the community elites later gained economic power through real estate investment and trading. Currently found mainly in Java and South Sumatra, they are almost all (generally orthodox) Muslims.
History
Indonesia has had contact with the Arab worldArab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
for hundreds of years, prior to the emergence of Islam in Indonesia
Islam in Indonesia
Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, which also has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim as of 2009....
. Most contact was with spice traders, but the first Arab settlements in the archipelago may date from the fifth century. Some later founded dynasties, including the Sultanate of Pontianak
Pontianak Sultanate
Pontianak Sultanate or Kesultanan Pontianak is a monarchy in the province of Pontianak, Indonesia.-History:Pontianak Sultanate was founded in 1771 by explorers from Hadhramaut led by al-Sayyid Syarif Abdurrahman al-Kadrie, descendants of Imam Ali ar-Ridha...
, while others intermingled with existing kingdoms. These early communities adopted much of the local culture, and some disappeared entirely while others formed ethnically distinct communities.
Modern Arab Indonesians are generally descended from Hadramis
Hadhrami people
The Hadhrami or Hadharem are people from the Hadhramaut and their descendants in diaspora communities around the world. They speak Hadhrami Arabic....
who came to Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
and married native women. They were classified as "foreign orientals" along with Chinese Indonesians, which led to them being unable to attend certain schools and restricted from travelling, and having to settle in special Arab districts, or kampung Arab. These laws were repealed in 1919.
The community elites began to build economic power through trade and real estate acquisition, buying large amounts of real estate in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
), Singapore and other parts of the archipelago. Through charity work and "conspicuous consumption", they built and protected their social capital
Social capital
Social capital is a sociological concept, which refers to connections within and between social networks. The concept of social capital highlights the value of social relations and the role of cooperation and confidence to get collective or economic results. The term social capital is frequently...
; eventually, some Arab Indonesians joined the Volksraad
Volksraad (Dutch East Indies)
A People's Council for the Dutch East Indies was provided for by law in 1916. But was procrastinated until the actual installation of the Council in 1918. It was a hesitant and slow attempt at democratisation of the Dutch East Indies. The power of the Volksraad was limited as it only had advisory...
, the people's council of the Dutch East Indies.
During the Indonesian National Awakening
Indonesian National Awakening
The Indonesian National Awakening is a term for the period in the first half of the twentieth century, during which people from many parts of the archipelago first began to develop a national consciousness as "Indonesians"....
, Arab Indonesians began to experience hostility from native Indonesians owing to their foreign descent; they also experienced hostility from the Dutch. This led to the formation of organizations exclusively for Arab Indonesians beginning in 1913; these organizations viewed
Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
the Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
as a homeland and tended to ignore Indonesia. An Indonesian nationalistic movement, Persatoean Arab Indonesia, was founded by Abdurrahman Baswedan
Abdurrahman Baswedan
AR Baswedan is the popular name of Abdurrahman Baswedan, a nationalist, journalist, Indonesian freedom fighter, diplomat, and writer...
in 1934, eventually leading to a "cultural reorientation".
Indonesian scholar Azyumardi Azra
Azyumardi Azra
Azyumardi Azra CBE was born in Lubuk Alung, West Sumatra, Indonesia, on March 4, 1955. He is prominent as one of Indonesian public intellectuals, Muslim thinker and former Rector of State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta. He graduated from Department of History, Columbia...
depicts Indonesians of Arab descent as wishing to purge Indonesian Islam of its indigenous religious elements. Indonesian critics of Arab influence in Indonesia point to the founding of the radical group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and leadership of Laskar Jihad
Laskar Jihad
Laskar Jihad , was an Islamist and anti-Christian Indonesian militia, which was founded and led by Jafar Umar Thalib. At present, the militia is believed to have disbanded.-History:...
(LJ) and Front Pembela Islam by Indonesian Arabs, and after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombing
2002 Bali bombing
The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack was claimed as the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia according to the current police general, killing 202 people,...
, the community came under suspicion.
Identity
First generation immigrants are referred to as wulayātī or totok. They are a small minority of the Arab Indonesian population. The majority, mullawad, were born in Indonesia and may be of mixed heritage.Distribution
The majority of Arab Indonesians live on Java, primarily in East JavaEast Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
. A sizable minority live in South Sumatra
South Sumatra
South Sumatra is a province of Indonesia.-Geography:It is on the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of Lampung to the south, Bengkulu to the west, and Jambi to the north...
.
Religion
Arab Indonesians are almost all Muslim; according to the 2000 censusIndonesia 2000 census
The Indonesia 2000 census or Indonesia Census 2000 was carried out with the fix-date 2000-06-30 and counted 203 million people, a revised figure of 206 264 595 people with estimates was deemed as official...
, 98.27 percent of Arab Indonesians are Muslim, compared to 88.22 percent of the general population. Historically, most have lived in kauman, or the area around mosques, but this has changed in recent years. The majority are Sunni, following the Shafi'i
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i madhhab is one of the schools of fiqh, or religious law, within the Sunni branch of Islam. The Shafi'i school of fiqh is named after Imām ash-Shafi'i.-Principles:...
school of Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
; a growing minority are Shia. Children are generally sent to madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
s.
The Islam practiced by Arab Indonesians tends to be more orthodox than the local, indigenous-influenced forms like abangan
Abangan
Abangan refers to the population of Javanese Muslims who practice a more syncretic version of Islam than the more orthodox santri. The term, apparently derived from the Javanese word for red, was first developed by Clifford Geertz but the meaning has since shifted. Abangan are more inclined to...
. Many Arab Indonesians attempt to convince local Muslims to follow a more orthodox form of Islam as well.
Notable Arab Indonesians
- Ali AlatasAli AlatasAli Alatas was an Indonesian diplomat of Hadhrami descent, who served as the country's foreign minister from 1988 to 1999. He was Indonesia's longest serving foreign minister.-Education and early career:...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs - Abdurrahman BaswedanAbdurrahman BaswedanAR Baswedan is the popular name of Abdurrahman Baswedan, a nationalist, journalist, Indonesian freedom fighter, diplomat, and writer...
, founder of Persatoean Arab-Indonesia - Abu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesian Muslim cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI)....
, suspected head of Jemaah Islamiyah