Islam and Chinese
Mar 8th, 2007, in News, by PatungThe distance between Indonesian Chinese people and Islam.
Julia Suryakusuma wrote in the Jakarta Post recently:
The Chinese in Indonesia are usually Buddhist, Christian or Confucian. In fact, the actual number of Muslim Chinese is not known, but there are not many.
And then:
The Religious Affairs Ministry has in the past made strenuous efforts to squelch academic research on the Chinese contribution to Islam in Indonesia. This is because for most Indonesians the link seems intuitively absurd and improbable: “Chineseness” and “Islam” are assumed to be totally paradoxical stereotypes or “identity concepts”.
Cheng Ho, 1371-1433.
She then notes that the role of the Chinese in spreading Islam in Indonesia was in fact considerable, and that it was a two-fold matter. First there were actual Chinese Muslims, such as the relatively famous mariner Admiral Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, who established Chinese Muslim (Hanafi) communities in Palembang, San Fa (West Kalimantan), and along the northern coast of Java, especially at Semarang. Secondly, and more indirectly, it was the Chinese who developed the ports, city life and supply networks that attracted Muslim (non-Chinese) traders to Indonesia, and this facilitated the spread of Islam by opening up the Indonesian states to Islamic trading, and then missionary, networks.
What’s more, as John Sidel in Riots, Pogroms, Jihad says, the first waves of Chinese migrants to Indonesia in the 15th & 16th century soon assimilated into Indonesian society, (Cheng Ho was one who specifically encouraged this), and as with the Baba Chinese of Malaya, Chinese mestizos in the Philippines, and Sino-Thai lukjin in Siam, locally born Chinese in Indonesia soon took up most of the linguistic, cultural, and religious forms of the society where they found themselves.
Yet today few Chinese are Muslims, many still speak a dialect of Chinese, and many still maintain Chinese cultural traditions, and further, many are loathe to consider themselves Javanese or Sundanese, etc. Indonesian nationalists will be pleased to hear that the Dutch are to “blame” for this.
Old loyalties.
One feature of Dutch society which has often stood out, even to the Netherlands’ neighbours, was the strict separation in the past between the Catholic and Reformed communities. In many ways Catholics and Protestants in Holland inhabitated separate worlds, with their own schools, clubs, sporting teams, etc, the two worlds often barely meeting.
When the Dutch took control of the East Indies they tended to recreate the system they were familiar with in some respects, and their policies resulted in something like a caste or apartheid system developing in the colonies, not totally unlike what they were used to at home, says Sidel.
Chinese were barred from entry to the local aristocracy, (whereas in the past Javanese upper class men had often taken a Chinese wife), they were ghettoized, forced to live in particular areas of a town, their inter-city movement was restricted and regulated, they had special legal codes and administrative practices imposed on them, all different from that which applied to the “native” population.
These policies hardened ethnic boundaries, set up walls between the Chinese and Javanese, and largely prevented Chinese from assimilating and, for example, adopting the religion of the majority of the people, Islam.
Further, over time, as Dutch power grew and the Javanese aristocracy became ever more subjugated, the attractiveness for Chinese in assimilating declined, and the economic benefits of being a distinct, separate class, increased.
Towards the end of Dutch rule a new wave of immigrants, this time many non-Hokkien speakers, people who saw no great need to assimilate, and combined with the rise of Chinese nationalism, made the established trend for separateness stronger. Chinese associations were formed, schools, chambers of commerce, and the Dutch became much more accommodating.
After independence the policies of both the Sukarno and Suharto regimes tended to reinforce, often severely, the division between the ethnic groups. It is only recently, since the presidency of Gus Dur, that attempts have been made to break down the barriers built up over hundreds of years.
107 Comments on “Islam and Chinese”
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DMan says:
Some of you posters are full of dipsh*t prejudice and bigotry trying to live in the painful past. You too included Wandi. Including Anak, Purbo, diego and others narrow minded bigots here. There are good Indonesians and other who claim Indo heritage regardless of ethnic or religious background who want live in Unity in Diversity and want to live in peace like myself but who don’t speak up to forcefully. Stop separating Indon-Chinese and pribumi. So don’t lump us all in the same group. I am not sure what pribumi really is but I think it really means the native brown skin and darker skin Indo’s like Anak. Some Indo’s are half Arabic and some look like Indians or even black. Some Indo’s are fair skin and look more Asian like myself or Presiden SBY and then there are Chinese-Indonesians.
Wandi, sister I condemn what happen in 1998, and I was not even there and I grew up in the US. Things are changing in Jakarta and rest of Indonesia during my 2006 visit and you probably think it is like the past. There are low to moderate Indo muslims like myself who condemn those belligerent, extremist Islamic types who spread terrorism and bully Christians. I had to get away from it because I had to live through 9/11 and the terrorist thugs who destroyed the WTC in NY where I used to work. I still despise the extremist Islamic thugs in Indo and the Middle East but I also apply it to every racial ethnic group I encounter here good and bad in the states, white, black, hispanic, Mexican, Cuban, Arab, Indian or other Asians who are intolerant.
I have met other Chinese-Indonesian muslims here in DC,NY and back in Indo. Some I observe more religious that myself. I know most are either Christian,Catholic or Buddist. I have noticed that some females usually have white boyfriends or husbands as perhaps in their head white is better. Then this is a problem with other Asian females here in the States and back in Asia. I am not against this, but then again this is IR dating disparity I face as a minority here. Wandi peace to you sister, don’t think we all think like extreme idiots like Purbo, Anak others intolerant posters here or any other extremist race, ethnic, religious nationality as there are good and bad in all races that I have encountered.
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sputjam says:
In the end boys and girls, what wandi said is that results count and Indonesia and malay archipelago stinks.
So that is final and no use debating on this any further as her mind is set and she is heading for the best country to live in as stated by the UN.
But also, maybe she is too good for indonesia, and will not get to fulfill her ambition if she had remained.
Adios wandi and Good luck.That of course doesn’t mean that those who remained are dead ducks. We will get along somehow, by evolving for the better.
We can follow singapore’s way to riches, by attracting top talent (like the nigerians footballers and PRC ping pong players, rich businessmen and bankers), or we can push ourselves to the top, by promoting our human assets.
But when you hear news about how teachers in Indonesia are forced to pay almost 4 years salary as commission to the person who writes the appointment letter, maybe small adjustments may get a bigger results, then say investing in aeroplane manufacturing.
In the end, it is up to the people who live in their respective country to decide what is best for the common good.
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wandi says:
@DMan,
Good comment. I do believe there are good indonesians,but they are born or live abroad and not being infected by the “pribumi anti chinese virus” like the ones in Indonesia. Beside the ones who still live in indonesia and behave the proper way arent that many.
@ Aluang Anak Bayang,
There is one last thing I want to comment. Everytime you mentioned Chinese Indonesian, you only have the bias of Chinese as traitor of the nation. My grandmother’s family are born and raised in Kalimantan. She is the 8th generation of the Teochew, a Han chinese race originated from Fujian in China. They fought along with dayaks against the Dutch. The Dutch almost wiped out the entire clan/family of my grandmother!
My grandfather’s family also came from Fujian and is also Teochew. His family fought first against Japan then the Communist. After the civil war was lost by the nationalists,they all fled to Taiwan. The half of the family went to Indonesia. There were in total 4 family members left :2 stayed in Taiwan and the other 2 went to Kalimantan. The ones stayed in Kalimantan married with the local Teochew women(my grandmother and her best friend).
My father’s family history and my grandmother’s has one thing in common. The wars have declined our numbers. Our families were much and much bigger. From my grandfather side only my grandfather and his 3 nephews were remain alive. The other 2 nephews went to Taiwan. Thats all what was left from my grandfather’s family. Same with my grandmother’s family. She was the only member left of her family. My grandmother said that she never regret to defend kalimantan from the Dutch even if it cost her her whole family. She said she was in love with Kalimantan and the Dayaks.
Then Suharto came into power and with him came the 1965/66 Pogroms,the so called anti communists/chinese witch hunt. Her best friend and her husband (my grandfather’s nephew) died when the soldiers beaten them to dead for accusing them as communist.
LOL,how ironic. My nephew’s grandfather fought against the communist in China and found himself beating up to dead like a communist dog. My grandparents were lucky. They could escaped to the jungle with the help of the Dayaks. Although she wasnt so lucky as the history has proven. The Indonesian riot in May 1998 cost her her youngest son=my uncle.What is the use of defending Indonesia from aggressive foreign powers like the Dutch? In the end the Chinese Indonesian will be use as scapegoat again. No point to deny that. It is not about living in the past, but to learn from the past and if necessary to take some actions in preparation or else…
After all history repeats itself.To Aluang Anak Bayang and others who asked me why the hurry to close the Indonesian chapter and stop being ungrateful.
Well i think revealing a part of my family’s history should be enough reason to do so.
There are sultans,rich business people and the elite who collaborated with the Dutch during the colonial era. How come I never heard pribumi accuse their pribumi treators? how come I only hear Chinese treators? Are you pribumi afraid of the ugly side of your past and instead try to put all the problems on the shoulder of the Chinese Indonesian?
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Burung Koel says:
@ wandi
Word.
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
@ wandi
You are repeatedly (or intentionally) avoiding the real racial issue; instead bitterly focusing on your personal tragedy and blaming the Javanese for it. There is hardly a pure-bred Javanese. Centuries of integration with foreign traders, mostly chinese, indians and arabs are what make Javanese the most resilent and dominant group.
Javanese culture sets a benchmark for all civilisation to follow. Equality of gender to start with, when most other cultures killed female babies in favour of male. We have centuries of remarkable colourful history of multiculturism, with acceptance of people black, white or yellow. Indians and arabs were able to assimilate, earlier chinese intermarriaged and were able to blend in.
However, mixed chinese were looked down upon by their chinese families and neighbours. Cast off from their latter years ‘untainted’ chinese kins, many renounced their chinese heritage and become Javanese. The locals are more acceptance of them. At least 2 of our presidents have chinese blood, even the one you accussed to be responsible for the so called chinese pogrom.
Wandi, both sides are to blame, but the real problem lies with the chinese. In an earlier post, you blamed your haughty attitude toward Javanese as ‘middle kingdom mentality’. If you are welcomed to stay, amassed a fortune, who is to blame if you flaunt your wealth in full view of hungry peasants plus an irritating ‘middle kingdom’ attitude?
I like brevity so will stop here for now .. will continue next log on.
@ DMan
What do you know if you grew up overseas?
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diego says:
Hello Wendy,
How are you doing? I hope you’re doing fine. Have you recovered from your sickness (whatever it is)? Good. I’m glad to hear that.
Allright, so… Indonesians are racist animals, eh? They killed chinese. Wow. Yea, I also share the same opinion, that stinky-fat-javanese Mao Tse Tung have killed a lot of chinese, almost millions.
I’m ashamed by the fact that many of our javanese brothers have killed so many chinese babies by selling them milk tainted with melamine.
On behalf of all indonesians, I’m so sorry.
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…. and I deeply regretted what our Dayak ancestors did to your people (chinese) during WWII, sending them to gas chambers in Krakow Poland. We, indonesians, are so sorry for the holocaust we did to 6 millions chineses. I almost cried as I write this, it was a terrible, terrible thing to do. Killing 6 millions chinese?? It’s unimaginable, only animals, like us, Indonesian, could do such an evil thing. We’ve learned from our past, We deeply sorry. i love you.
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dragonwall says:
Isn’t a person, whether personal or not, being a victim of racial abuse to bhe part of the racial issu.
And Wandi, look if you browse through most of the comments by these two, they are full of sarcarsm and indirect insults so that you know as many have notice.
One thing in common is that they have not been victimized before so that they could say things they do not even know or feel.
They feel that it is a national pride to have discriminate and abuse the minorities especially the Chinese.
Most bloggers condone their presence so that they could clown around this arena and be expose as people who have criminal thoughts.
Who knows if they have even taken part in those incidents. Jealousy and envy plays agreat part in their blogging.
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Irene says:
word up, dragonwall.
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@ Irene
Your hero was struggling with words here and here.
And here is a nicely sum up of his pathetic defence by an observer, which he later accused of being racist.
Dragonwall …..
I do not see you engaging in debate here on this one. What I see is desperation from someone who has no response and diving into the gutter language wise in a hope to divert people’s attention from the fact that you have nothing left in the tank, you are running on empty.
Irene, I must admit I am stumped at your brazen display of contempt for the country and the people that make it possible where you are now. Having the priviledge of an education overseas and easy access to documented historical accounts on what went wrong, the least I would have expected was a generation y-er to sow more seed of hatred. Have this kua say huan na (hokkien) been passed down from your parents? Your blog didn’t list any pribumis friends. I am wondering if you are brought up with this mindset wo dert papa hui shak wo (mandarin) if you have a Javanese boyfriend? I am interested to know the level of deep seated hatred Indon-chinese harbour against the Javanese in generation y-ers. I would have thought the hatred had come to pass and we are at the healing process.
Dragonball is a banished singaporean, and all his rantings are hot airs; however your comments are reflective of current indon-chinese’s thoughts.
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Didn’t I say they were full of
sarcarsm and indirect insults
The word “here and here” what is that? Are youstruggling trying to understand some others simple english?
I do not see you engaging in debate here on this one.
Which one?
I am not here like
clown around this arena and be expose as people who have criminal thoughts.
So being able to differentiate between right and wrong is a display of brazen contempt? Come kiss my arse.
And you guys here must really understand this well like
the least I would have expected was a generation y-er to sow more seed of hatred
To you you have not atone let alone the national healings. And let me tell you this. By seeing your posting here it shows to everyone that you have got a tiger by your tail. You yellow faker.
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Ally says:
A Chinese loves to call him/her self a Chinese, but does not want to be treated as a Chinese.
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but does not want to be treated as a Chinese.
Why? And How Come?
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I think everyone is discriminated in indonesia.
Need a job? pay up in advance first.
Coming back from overseas job stint? make sure you have sufficient pocket money to pass immigration and custom.
want a contract? money first.
Unfortunately, the chinese people in indonesia seems to think that they are the only ones being targeted. -
Unfortunately, the chinese people in indonesia seems to think that they are the only ones being targeted.
TARGET. Yes I think they are but you don’t. 99 out of a 100.
I am aware that some Pribumis were capitalized because they have the money but not targeted. This is the whole difference.
As you even say
Need a job? pay up in advance first.
Coming back from overseas job stint? make sure you have sufficient pocket money to pass immigration and custom.
want a contract? money first.I would say for once I totally agree with you.
And this is how the whole f**k**g corruption games started. So how do you propose to stop that.
I was told that SBY might even get re-elected.
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R says:
Whatever you guys think, i have to have my say on this, regardless of the eyes of intels reading this, regardless of whether it is politically correct and all that thing, though I will try not to be extreme in my expressions and not to offend any particular groups or individuals, but I have to say this with all my heart. I love Indonesia, as well as its place in the globalized world because it was the place i was born in, it’s the place that has kept me safe for years no matter how ugly it may seems in the eye of others.
I have lived many years in Indonesia… I’m educated with western systems, comparing various western systems not just one, studying abroad and a resident in west for an equally long number of years enables me to do this, i have broad outside perspectives as if looking from a far, i learn not to love just one system but many. In relation to the topic “Islam and Chinese” I believe Indonesia as a republic has adopted a good religious tolerance (5 agama resmi) we embrace unity in diversity “bhineka tunggal ika” reflected in the various tribes we have with all their beliefs and faith. Islam in Indonesia is moderate and this has been its strength point all these years… no wisdom fully support the idea of extremism, where one would put one’s any religion in zealoutry while try to put down OTHER religion, it is a shame… Connection between Islam and chinese hmm every wise one should have known about Cheng Ho, Moslem Chinese explorer that reached Java… as well as that in modern China, the Uyghur region, where Islam is the majority faith. Please do not put down others for selfishness, United Indonesia is beautiful, islam as majority in Indonesia in my opinion is good as long as it is kept in moderation, as for every group particular certain groups self-knowledge and purpose serving in “nerimo” way modestly is the way, I would not say some groups serve better purpose or more of an “ELITE” purpose, we all serve our own purpose of life…..and all would be equal in the eye of ALLAH…After all the world is in turmoil, a little more non-biased understanding should be needed, a little drop of voice in the ocean of individual perceptions. To Wandi, I feel sorry for the badlucks that befall your family for generations. However, it is pathetic such a low-knowledgable person like you could raise a voice matching that of an anak garuda climbing high on the sky. I say this because you easily claim your voice represents all chinese indonesians, first you must learn the factual knowledge of several different types of Chindos in Indonesia in general and infact your choice of language reflects your shallow intellect you say “Han Chinese race” pathetic, Han is not a race, it is an ethnic group, and teochew as one tribal branch of ethnic Han Does Not represent the whole entire China, there is the Hakka/kejia/kek dont forget (which im particularly familiar with) a tribal branch whose ancestors can be traced back to the xiong nu as great ancestors of Genghis Khan, the assimilated huns (with strongly preserved traditions even after thousand years untill now) that constanly travelled southward into China resisting all resentment from other settled chinese tribes, as opposed to their northern counterpart which travelled to Europa. This among many other tribes like Hmong, Miao etc constitute the larger China, the so called “ethnic han”. Besides, wandi do you support racism by mentioning a lot of “race” word in provoking ways. Btw in terms of political correctness careful wandi, Communist still active even though Chinas is turning capitalist (we all know it) it is a mere system not the politics, sooo ehmm… careful :)….
Im not sure whether a forum such as this is intended to “mancing” or tracking down a particular target, however afterall in this everchanging world we have to have our voice and be the force as the new generation, and not be hypocrites…
Comment on “Islam and Chinese”.
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@ Diego,
por que escribir en espanol? Aqui la gente a escribir en Ingles. para escribir en espanol, usted no tiene el respeto de los demas
hasta ahora su Ingles no es malo. por que mentir?
Ah, y tienes razon. I recoger dinero para determinados fines.
Mi espanol no es tan buen,acaba de escribir en Ingles.
Yo perder mi tiempo aqui