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Kapitan Arab

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Captain of The Arabs, Kapten Arab or Head of The Arabs (Dutch: Kapitein der Arabieren or Hoofd der Arabieren) is a position in the colonial Dutch East Indies appointed with the task of leading the ethnic Arab-Indonesians, who usually lived in concentrated clearly defined-living areas (Kampung Arab).[1] The role was to provide liaison between his community and the government, to provide statistical information and The Dutch East Indies government on issues related to Arabs, to disseminate government regulations and decrees, and to ensure the maintenance of law and order.[2]

Potrait of Captain of Arabs in Tegal
Captain Arab of Pekalongan in front of his house, circa 1920

History

More than half of the Captain of Arabs appointed by the colonial government were non Sayyid people. This decision was made to undermine traditional Hadhrami assumption about their social status.[2][3] In Batavia, the main location of Arabs was in an area called Pekojan.[4]The Arabs, according to Van den Berg,[5] settled in Pekojan (which means The Koja, a term for people of Bengal, India)[6]. When he did the study (1884-1886), there were no more Bengali people. At that time the majority of the settlers were Arab and a handful of Chinese. Since about the 1970s, the Arabs are the minority and the Chinese turned into majority. He describes that Pekojan then was a slum and dirty area, but the Arabs seem did not suffer from it that much. Approximately one and half century ago, the Arabs also had moved and lived in the suburbs (now Central Jakarta), such as Krukut and Tanah Abang area.[7]As more and more immigrants immigrate from Hadramaut, in 1844 the Dutch government required a head of the group, or Captain of the Arabs. The similar position was appointed for Captain of the Chinese.

Among the Arabs who had been captains of the Arabs in Batavia was Muhammad Umar Ba-Behir and Umar Mangus. Before Umar Mangus was appointed as a captain of Arabs, most Arabs had decided to choose sharif Abdullah ibn Husein Alaydrus, a rich merchant, famous for his generosity and had good behavior as well as prominent among the Arabs and the Europeans. Many people think that with his close relationship with europeans, he would be willing to accept the Arab captaincy. The colonial government constantly urged him to accept the position, but he firmly rejected it. He wasn't alone in refusing, as this refusal had the support of respected Arab elders.[8] According to Snouck Hurgronje who observed in 1901, the Dutch colonial government had more difficulty appoint Kapitein der Arabieren as more and more indies-born arabs (Muwallad) born which lacked authority compared to pure-blood Hadramis (Wulayti) whose number diminished.[2]

In Banjarmasin in around 1899, the Captain of Arabs was Said Hasan bin Idroes al-Habsyi or more known as Habib Ujung Murung.[2][9]In Cirebon, there was an Arab Indonesian appointed as a captain in 1845. As in Batavia, the Arab village here was once the abode of the Bengali. In 1872 the colony in Indramayu separated from Cirebon to appoint a captain (or head of) of Arabs. Similarly in Tegal, Pekalongan, Semarang, Surabaya, Gresik, Pasuruan, Bangil, Lumajang, Besuki, Banyuwangi, Surakarta, Sumenep, and various places in the archipelago had their own captain of Arabs. One of the reasons the colonial government did this was to segregate Arabs from the indigenous people.[7]. In Banyuwangi, some Captain of the Arabs who were in positions, among others, was Datuk Sulaiman Bauzir, Datuk Dahnan, Habib Assegaf, and Ahmad Haddad.[10]

Reference

  1. ^ Jacobsen, Frode F. (2008). Hadrami Arabs in Present-day Indonesia: An Indonesia-oriented Group with an Arab Signature. Taylor & Francis. p. 24. ISBN 978-020388-4614.
  2. ^ a b c d Mobini-Kesheh, Natalie (1999). The Hadrami Awakening: Community and Identity in the Netherlands East Indies, 1900-1942 (illustrated ed.). SEAP Publications. p. 25. ISBN 978-0877-2772-79.
  3. ^ Jacobus de Hollander, Johannes; Eck, Rutger (1895). Handleiding bij de beoefening der landkunde en volkenkunde van Nederlandsch Oost-Indië (5 ed.). Broese. p. 311.
  4. ^ Ensiklopedi Jakarta: culture & heritage. Vol. 1. Pemerintah Provinsi Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta, Dinas Kebudayaan dan Permuseuman. 2005. p. 68. ISBN 978-97986-82506.
  5. ^ van den Berg, Lodewijk Willem Christiaan (1989). Hadramaut dan koloni Arab di Nusantara. Vol. 3. INIS.
  6. ^ Shahab, Alwi (2004). "Saudagar Baghdad Dari Betawi" (in Indonesian). Penerbit Republika. p. 29. ISBN 978-97932-10308. Retrieved Jun 9, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Hadramaut dan Para Kapiten Arab". Retrieved Jun 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "Penghormatan Masyarakat Terhadap Arab Sayyid" (in Indonesian). Retrieved Jun 9, 2014.
  9. ^ "Habib Hasan Ujung Murung Sang Kapten Arab". Retrieved Jun 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "Asal-usul Desa Lateng Kampung Arab" (in Indonesian). Retrieved Jun 9, 2014.


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