Bromo Tengger Converts to Islam
Mar 2nd, 2009, in News, by Patung
Some of the last holdouts against Islam on Java convert under the guidance of Hidayatullah.
On 1st March 2009 at Tempuran, Senduro, Lumajang, East Java 70 Muslim converts (mualaf) from the Tengger ethnic group (suku Tengger) were married in a mass ceremony.
The 70 people were part of a group of 227 Tengger people that had converted from Hinduism to Islam in mid 2007. Previously the 70 had been married according to Hindu rites, however these marriages were not officially registered or recognised.
They originate from Wonocempoko Ayu, Argosari, and Burno in Senduro, about 8km from Mt Bromo. 400 people from these villages have converted to Islam in recent years.
Zeigeist 1, Majapahit 0.
One man, Suyanto, said bmh.or.id
Wow, I’ve been married twice but with the same wife. Before I married according to another religion, now in the Islamic way. I’m so happy to be married within Islam after saying the confession of faith last year.
The Islamic marriages were organised by the fundamentalist group Hidayahtullah and the Lumajang local government. The couples paid nothing. Samsudin from Hidayatullah said: detik
So, people who convert to Islam will have their weddings paid for by Hidayahtullah.
Tenggerese are generally Hindu and traditionally live around or near Mt Bromo, and consider themselves to be direct descendants of the rulers of the last Hindu kingdom of Java, Majapahit. See “Hindu Javanese: Tengger Tradition and Islam” by Robert W. Hefner, Amazon, Google Books.
228 Comments on “Bromo Tengger Converts to Islam”
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diego says:
andrey,
Have you read the content of website hidayatullah.com? I invite everyone to visit that website, and make your own judgment about whether hidayatullah is a fundamentalist group. Don’t forget to check the webforum, so fun (in a scary way).
That, and other publications, like Sabili / Salafi, etc (a popular read among students of Bandung Institute of Technology)…, are all the same. Bla bla bla about kafir / jews / christianization / syariah islam.
Oh, those bigots behind those publications, to me, are all the same as the bigots behind jihadwatch.org. Sick dessert worms, both of them, warmongers, fanatics, whiners / moaners.
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lest says:
I’ve seen this kind of phobia.
“fun in scary way” that’s too much for you and too many bla bla bla
Indeed I don’t like the hidayatullah.com too much, but I don’t like Israeli too.
I hate every eerie terrorism. I stood at the place of common people stand. -
Ross says:
That news report is just sickening. These poor folks have held onto their religion for centuries and now they have been pressured, or bribed, into ‘conversion,’ to a creed many of whose members, if the process were in the reverse direction, would demand their execution as apostates. (one is slightly curious if the mass wedding included sleazy paedophile types like the so-far-unjailed child molestor Sheq Puji)
Going off on a mild tangentI see from yesterday’s Jakarta Post 2/3/09 reports that Ahmadiyah refugees are set to be allowed back to the homes in Lombok from which they were persecuted by Islamist savages. The local authorities now deem it safe for these innocent victims of Muslim sectarian hatred to return, but only if they ‘don’t stick out!’
Not a word on rounding up and imprisoning the scummy Muslims wo hounded them out.These reports would be astounding in any country except Indonesia, where, by the way, I had understood proselytisation was forbidden (except if you do it by way of paying wedding expenses!)
Double-standards, stark and sordid…
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Mr Tic Tac Toe says:
Ross:
Perhaps we should put ads tommorow, that we would pay wedding expenses of those who de-convert ? (if that is even a word)
I’ll try that on local newspaper… it would be fun, i guess…
Double-standards, stark and sordid…
Nothing…
just want to put that in bold.
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jaka says:
The key word is, plain and simple, “fundamentalist”. If you just ignore this word, then everything is okay. Nobody feels bad (unless some Islam haters, maybe).
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ET says:
400 people from these villages have converted to Islam in recent years.
Nothing new and nothing to be proud of for the Javanese. It has been going on for 600 years after the fall of Majapahit. But they all stand in line to come to Hindu Bali to earn some decent money, something their own ilk doesn’t seem able to provide.
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
Assalamualaikum Pak Tic Tac Toe,
These people mualaffed because they have seen the truth. Not because they had their wedding paid for. Sooner or later, you will be moslem too.
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sputjam says:
As far as I understand it, religion is irrelevant in the belief of God.
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schmerly says:
What kind of twisted religion is Islam, when in some county’s you are executed for converting to another religion, and even in Indonesia if a person wants to change religions they are ostracised.
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Pak Aluang.
Good for them then.
So… nothings wrong if somebody offers them something to de-convert, I suppose? I mean, they have seen the truth, so my planned offerings wont change a thing anyway… right?
Sooner or later, you will be moslem too.
Pray hard Pak Aluang. I have seen the other truth.
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Pak Tic Tac Toe,
Once they seen the truth, they will not return to their un-Islamic way of life. Good try, but no sweetener will de-islamised the truth seekers. Allah swt will not accept kaffirs.
Pray hard Pak Aluang. I have seen the other truth.
If you are Christian, you are praying to Prophet Isa. Also the one hanging on the cross was Judas. What you see or heard were lies, not truth. Where about are you in Indonesia? I don’t mind meeting you (or Pak Hary) over a cuppa, and talk about Islam’s superiority over Christianity. I am sure if I can see the truth, so can you.
Salam.
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Pak Aluang.
It doesnt matter who was hanging there. For all i care, it could be pilate himself. Its not falsifiable, so it doesnt matter.
What matters to me is, somebody died becoz somebody believe in different god, or believe in god differently. And that somebody died becoz some people were afraid to take a stand.
That should never had happened.
I don’t mind meeting you (or Pak Hary) over a cuppa,
which Hary? how do you know my connection to this “Pak Hary”?
hmmm… interesting.
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Burung Koel says:
So let me get this straight:
– I’m Tengger, and I’m already married, or I think I am
– You wanna do what with that knife?
– And then I have to get married all over again?
– It was bad enough the first time, what with the in-laws, the bride price, the three day ceremony…
– Oh, but you’re paying? That’s nice of you, sir.
– Although with seventy other couples but no booze?This will not end well.
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Mohammed says:
Asalamu Alaikum,
I see quite a few ignorant comments by people regarding Islam and Muslims. It’s funny when someone decides to practice their religion properly or when someone accepts Islam due to it being the right thing to do the become “fundamentalists” or whatever else you want to call them.
Islam is a way of life. It encompasses every aspect of a Muslims life from the day they are born to the day they die. If you really want to know why people accept Islam the search Youtube, Islamtube, Halatube and see the stories from their own mouths why they accept Islam. You have Hindus, Christians, Jews, Atheists, Priest nad Preachers from every religion who become Muslim. Literally thousands and these are only a tiny fraction of those that come to Islam.
When someone in countries like America or Australia become Muslim you can’t say that they were forced or tricked or bribed into becoming Muslim since Muslims don’t have any say in these countries. Indonesia is a great percentage Muslim and they where not forced into Islam, they accepted it because they saw what Islam is.
One must realize Islam is one thing and Muslims are another. If Muslims don’t practice Islam correctly it is not Islams fault and it does not change Islam. This is why when non Muslims learn the truth about Islam they accept it without any doubts in their mind.
Now I ask anyone out there do you really have the right to make the comments you make when you don’t even know what Islam is and what it teaches. Many Muslims don’t even know this. Look into it and learn about it. There is no harm. At least you will understand it even if you don’t accept it.
Actually under Islam their marriage becomes valid if they become Muslim and they don’t have to remarry. However it is allowable if they feel they need to do it and there is nothing wrong with that.
I know many people who were so against Islam and were doing everything they could in order to prove Islam wrong and ended up becoming Muslim because of what they learned. Mostly Christians but some atheist who used to be Christians.
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Rama Treiz says:
Does this mean soon their traditional hindu culture is going to be extinct? 🙁 It’s sad to see them surrender to a horrible religion such as Islam. Oh well they had a good 600ish years under their belt.
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Islam is neither horrible nor is it a religion. We classify it as a religion today because that is how society classify it. However it is a System of life. As far as Hinduism is concerned watch this http://2believeornot2.blogspot.com/search/label/Hinduism
and http://2believeornot2.blogspot.com/search/label/Video -
Thank goodness the whole world isn’t Islamic, or we’d all be a load of brainwashed backward zombies living in the stone age, with no advancement whatsoever.
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hary says:
Dear Pak AAb,
You simply could not resist drawing me into this discussion could you.
I am not going to be baited except to invite you to read Suriah 2 before you sholat again.
It is quite frustrating to share views with you when you never provide any liturligical basis for your beliefs.
Lets move discussions to a higher plane. Tell us what the Quran says about mualafs, Christians and Jews. Don’t forget to qoute specific surah and ayat, so that I can respond more fully. My Arabic is in need of a good workout. -
And by the way, I have never said that Islam is inferior to any religion.No need to meet for coffee or tea. Time is better spent in internet forums and exposing “not very intelligent” postings.
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good thing only a quater of the world is Muslim and growing. I have seen statistics that say by 2050 more than half the world will be Muslim. isn’t it amazing that even after what is said about Islam around the world it is still the fastest growing religion in the world.
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Lairedion says:
Now I ask anyone out there do you really have the right to make the comments you make when you don’t even know what Islam is and what it teaches.
Yes, we have this right and who are you to deny this?
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btw Muslim countries were the most advanced in the world before the crusades and the mongolians destroyed everything. historians have said this put the world back 1000 years in terms of your advancement and technology
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no you don’t have the right if you know nothing about Islam just like you don’t have the right to tell a doctor how to treat his patients if you youself are not a doctor. it is sad that there are ignorant people out there like you that don’t have a clue about islam and are like parrots and repeat everything they hear.
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Doctors shouldn’t treat patients, only Allah can decide over life and death.
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Sylvester says:
btw Muslim countries were the most advanced in the world before the crusades and the mongolians destroyed everything. historians have said this put the world back 1000 years in terms of your advancement and technology
Lies, Chinese, Greek, Romans and Indian were most advanced during Ancient Times. Arabs stole the technology from Greek and India.
no you don’t have the right if you know nothing about Islam just like you don’t have the right to tell a doctor how to treat his patients if you youself are not a doctor. it is sad that there are ignorant people out there like you that don’t have a clue about islam and are like parrots and repeat everything they hear.
We do not need to study all verses in koran to see extremism, discrimination against women and other religions, warmonger, bigotry, etc in Islam. See the facts around the world today.
good thing only a quater of the world is Muslim and growing. I have seen statistics that say by 2050 more than half the world will be Muslim. isn’t it amazing that even after what is said about Islam around the world it is still the fastest growing religion in the world.
Daydream! Moslem growing by having many kids. But moslem tends to kill each other (Iran-Iraq, Sunni-Syiah, Hamas-Fatah, Iraq-Arabs, and do not forget that Mohammed followers also killed each other). And the quantity does not tell anything if the quality of moslem mostly is poor, lack of education, low life expectancy, easy to be provoked, etc.
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Lairedion
Firstly it is Allah who decides over life and death however our body is one of the tests that we have been given by Allah. If we don’t look after it and keep it healthy and get help when we are sick then we fail this test. If Allah was to do everything for us then there would be no point to this world.Sylvester
Chinese, Greek, Romans and Indian where advanced for their times in their times. At the times of the Muslims they perfected some of the mistakes that these civilisations had made however they also discovered many new things that we take for granted today, ie like soap, irragation, navigation and medicine and surgery and much more. Watch Islam: Empire of faith (documentary made by non muslim americans so you can’t say it is biased towards muslims)We do not need to study all verses in koran to see extremism, discrimination against women and other religions, warmonger, bigotry, etc in Islam. See the facts around the world today.
You can’t study the verses of the Quran becuase you are to busy buying into everything you see around the world today and you fear that it might change your mind if you actually learned what is in the Quran. Extremism is nothing new and it certainly didn’t start with the Muslims. Your comment clearly shows your ignorance. Before Islam women had no rights and a man could do what he pleased with them. Islam changed all that. This is not really the time or place to discuss such lengthy issues but if you are relly curious then I will post a few links that you can read up about this.
In terms of other religions Islam gave all religions the right to exist, have their own legal systems and their own places of worship. With the exception of one Khalif and current day ignorant Muslims, the non muslims where protected under Islam and prefered to live in Muslims lands that in their own land. Yes times have changed and people have become ignorant but that is not Islams fault.
Daydream! Moslem growing by having many kids. But moslem tends to kill each other (Iran-Iraq, Sunni-Syiah, Hamas-Fatah, Iraq-Arabs, and do not forget that Mohammed followers also killed each other). And the quantity does not tell anything if the quality of moslem mostly is poor, lack of education, low life expectancy, easy to be provoked, etc.
I don’t know where you get your information from. Clearly you don’t have a clue what you are talking about. Show me were Muslims at the time of Muhammad(pbuh) killed each other. Yes today many Muslims are poor and kill each other and are killed by non muslims and some might have a lack of education due to outside factors imposed on them but they are still the fastest growing religion in the world. With all the Muslims deaths that occure in the world every year and yet the percentage of growth of Islam is positive and much larger compared to the rest of the world. The fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the WEST according to many non muslim organisations is proof enough that it is the fastes growing religion. Regardless of whether it is through conversion or birth rates it is still the fastest growning. However I believe that People like you try to make themselves feel better by telling themselves that it is through birth rates. So I think you need to keep dreaming.
Here is an example http://www.geocities.com/richleebruce/b/islam.html please take not that the growth rate of Islam is higher than the worlds population growth rate which means that this is only possible through conversions. Now this is declining but that is because the Muslims birth rates are not as high as people like you have been saying and because so many more muslims are killed than anyother religions people. But still it is higher than the worlds population growth so this means more people are becoming Muslim than Muslims are dieing.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article5621482.ece
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@ Mohammed
historians have said this put the world back 1000 years in terms of your advancement and technology
Do you have a reference for that?
Islam is neither horrible nor is it a religion. We classify it as a religion today because that is how society classify it.
I believe Golkar used to claim they weren’t a political party either.
isn’t it amazing that even after what is said about Islam around the world it is still the fastest growing religion in the world.
In percentage terms, agnosticism and atheism are faster growing. I am optimistic enough to think that the current surge of fundamentalism in various religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hindism) is a last gasp attempt to find some significance in an increasingly scientific and rational world for what are basically bronze age fairy tales and medieval superstitions.
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Andrew says:
People convert to other religions – that happens all the time everywhere.
Muslims convert to other religion, too – although that most likely won’t be reported because we know why 🙂 -
@ Brother Mohammad,
Truth will prevail.
Salam.
Comment on “Bromo Tengger Converts to Islam”.
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On what ground are you calling hidayatullah a fundamentalist?
Are you calling anyone who is not JIL a fundamentalist?
First call them fundamentalist, then extremist, then terrorist supporters… eventually it will be justified to send a missile to their wedding party.