One Big Family in Kampung Arab Pekojan

KOMPAS/NIKOLAUS HARBOWO

The founder of the Sahabat Museum Foundation, Ade Purnama, explains the sides of the fortress of Batavia during the VOC era as part of the Tempo Doeloe Tour, which was initiated by the foundation in late May.

Differences are inevitable. It becomes a problem only when people see it as one. Accepting differences on the grounds that all humans are brothers and sisters is preferable. This is a sincere message from Kampung Arab Pekojan.

The 1740 event was terrible and irrationally violent. However, it was part of the nation’s dark past. Nevertheless, the bloody days led to a rebirth of tolerance, kinship and a sense of family that transcended the era.

The 1740 massacre is well-recorded in history and must serve as a reminder for all Indonesians today and in the future.

“In all houses with Chinese [architecture], on all roads, gutters and canals, there were Chinese bodies that had been killed in various ways. Meanwhile, men busily attempted to steal victims’ belongings. This went on for a whole day,” Johann Heinrich Schroeder said in his witness statement, as written by German historian Mary Somers Heidhues and published in the Archipel 77 journal in 2009.

Schroeder was a Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) soldier involved in the “cleansing” of ethnic Chinese people in Batavia (today Jakarta) on Oct. 9-22, 1740. The pogrom in Angke, North Jakarta, was allegedly caused by jealousy among VOC soldiers against wealthy Chinese people and a surge of Chinese immigrants in Batavia during the era.

Hembing Wijayakusuma, in his book Pembantaian Massal 1740 (Mass Slaughter 1740) published by Yayasan Obor Indonesia in 2005, wrote that no less than 10,000 people were killed in the humanitarian tragedy. The tragic and non-discriminatory killing is known in Indonesia today as “Geger Pecinan”.

After the massacre, Chinese immigrants seeking safety in Batavia were forced to assimilate with people of other ethnicities. They attempted to blend in with others on Jakarta’s northern coast.

In his book Mesjid-mesjid Tua di Jakarta (Old Mosques in Jakarta), Adolf Heuken SJ wrote that, after the 1740 massacre, many Chinese Batavians embraced Islam in order to be seen as a local.

In line with this, Batavia history enthusiast Andy Alexander said that many Chinese Batavians sought to assimilate themselves in the Kampung Arab (Arab Quarters) in Pekojan, West Jakarta, after the massacre. The area was known as a settlement for Arab immigrants from Hadramaut, Yemen, who were believed to have begun coming to the archipelago in the 13th century.

“[The Chinese people] tried to mask their identity by converting to Islam and blending in with the community in Kampung Arab. The Dutch did not have the resources to attack the Muslim community. Doing so was seen as opening a whole can of worms,”” Andy said in a Pelesiran Tempo Doeloe (Tour of the Past) event initiated by the Sahabat Museum Foundation in late May.

KOMPAS/NIKOLAUS HARBOWO

Participants of the Tempo Doeloe Tour prepare to continue their journey to the next destination after visiting An-Nawier Mosque, Pekojan, West Jakarta, at the end of May. The mosque is among old mosques in Batavia, built in 1760.

Traces of the Chinese-Arab assimilation could be seen in the designs of several mosques dating back to the 18th century, such as Al-Anwar Mosque (1761) in Angke, Tambora Mosque (1761), Krukut Mosque (1785) and Kebon Jeruk Grand Mosque (1786).

“Many were either designed or donated by Chinese,” Andy said.

Brothers from the mother’s side

Such assimilation is seen not only in houses of worship but also in residences. People of Arab and Chinese descent continue to live side by side in the Kampung Arab until today.

Chinese people see Pekojan as the “dragon’s head”, where fortune in business lies. Unsurprisingly, the area is filled with shops.

Meanwhile, the Arab people see the area as an ancestral legacy that must be preserved.

“This house is around 175 years old. The [original design], even the roof tiles, is still mostly intact. This is a legacy that we must preserve,” said Idrus bin Ali Shahab, 48, a fourth-generation descendant of the Shahab family.

The Shahab family is part of the Alawiyin clan, believed to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Other than Shahab, other such families include Al Attas, Al Jufri, Assegaf, Al bin Jidan, Al Habsyie, Al Basurah and Al Bayti.

Idrus said that the 500-square-meter house was filled with two families of seven persons in total.

Just 200 meters away, an Arab Betawi house is situated near the An-Nawier Mosque, which was established in 1760. It is surrounded by Chinese Peranakan shops.

The house’s owner, Husein bin Sholeh al-Habsyi, 50, reaffirmed that there had never been any problem between residents of Arab and Chinese descents and people of other ethnicities. For people of Arab descent, all of them are ahwal or brothers from the mother’s side.

“There are no differences. We mingle with one another. The power of tolerance has always been strong here. We respect one another. The Prophet said that whoever loved and appreciated my descendants would have my love for theirs,” Husein said.

Tolerance

Natalia, 57, a Tionghoa Peranakan who had resided in Kampung Arab since she was seven years old in 1969, felt that tolerance was always strong in the neighborhood. She said that there had never been any dividers between people of different ethnicities in the area. Everyone mingles with everyone.

“Everyone, including Chinese migrants, Arab Pekojan, Betawi natives and Chinese-Betawi people, mingle with one another. These four elements work and play with one another without ever [making identity

an issue]. Our parents were never worried about us playing with one another,” said Natalia, who currently resides in Australia.

Natalia said that she remembered well how she and her family always visited her neighbors of Arab descent on Idul Fitri. On the other hand, when her family celebrated the Chinese New Year, her neighbors visited her house.

“We took turns to respect one another,” Natalia said.

During the Malari riots on Jan. 15, 1974, Natalia felt that she and other people of Chinese descent felt truly safe in the neighborhood, due to protection from other residents.

“All of us in the family were frightened by all the burnings. However, when we arrived home in our neighborhood, we felt safe and relieved,” Natalia said.

Message for all

Kampung Arab has shown that a village must be more than just a place to stay. It must also be a place to share things, including joy and fear. Mutual acceptance can lead to sharing and to mutual and continued protection.

People in Kampung Arab Pekojan strive to spread what they believe and carry out. Everyone must protect one another for the comfort of all, without any boundary. They hope that Kampung Arab will be an example of tolerance not only in Jakarta but also in all regions across Indonesia.