THE judges in blasphemy case sentenced the defendant Basuki Tjahaja Purnama “Ahok” to two years imprisonment.
“The defendant is proven guilty and convicingly in blaspheme the religion, related to surah Al Maidah,” judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto said when reading the verdict at Ministry of Agriculture’s Auditorium, South Jakarta, on Tuesday, 9 May 2017.
According to the judges, there were several points that incriminating the defendant. Firstly, Ahok did not feel guilty over his statement as an insult to religion. Secondly, Ahok’s statement was harming religious harmony.
Governor Basuki Tjahaja (Ahok)’s statement about Alquran surah Al Maidah verse 51 has caused unrest among the people, therefore the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) reviewed the case and gave its religious statement on Tuesday. “Ahok has insulted the Holy Quran and/or the clerics. His statement has a legal consequences,” Chairman (MUI) Ma’ruf Amin said.
Ma’ruf explained Alquran surah Al Maidah verse 51 explicitly contains a prohibition for Muslims to make the Jewish and Christian as leader. “This verse as the proposition prohibition non-Muslims as a leader,’’ he said.
MUI stated Islamic clerics are obliged to convey the contents of surah Al Maidah verse 51 in order to remind every Muslim to vote for Muslim as leader. At this point, MUI statement has broken Ahok’s opinion about the verse.
Ahok believed clerics or Muslim in general who cited Al Maidah verse 51 were manipulating and politicizing the verse for political gain. “Ahok has insulted the clerics and Muslims by saying Muslims are manipulated by the verse or who ever citing the verse,” Ma’ruf said.
Further more, MUI said every Muslim should believe the truth and accuracy of surah Al-Maidah verse 51 as a guidance in choosing a leader. “It is haram to say Al Maidah verse 51 as a false guidance and it is a religious blasphemy of the Quran,” Ma’ruf underlined.
MUI said the government and the people are obligated to keep the harmony in religious life, in the society, in the state and in the nation. The government also has the obligation to prevent religious blasphemy by not neglecting the case. “We are asking the people to remain calm, not to vigilante, and let the authority handle the case. Of course, we should keep an eye in blasphemy activities and report it to the authority,” Ma’ruf said.
MUI urged the authority to act proactive and firm in religious blasphemy case. “Who ever did religious blasphemy over the Quran and the Islamic teachings or insulting the clerics and Muslims should be dealt firmly,” Ma’ruf said.
In order to keep public trust in law enforcement, the case should be processed quickly and proportionally in a professional manner. “The authority should consider the sense of justice for the people,” Ma’ruf said.
LEADERS of Islamic boarding schools have written to President Joko Widodo, urging that the due process of law should follow in the alleged case of blasphemy involving Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok).
The letter was written by leaders of these schools across Madura Island in East Java Province. “We sent a letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo today,” chief of All-Madura Islamic Boarding Schools Association (HP3M) KH Lailurrahman said in a press briefing at Pamekasan Police Precinct here on Friday.
The letter, dated October 26, 2016, was signed by HP3M Chief KH Lailurrahman and his secretary KH Djakfar Shodik. The ulamas said if the legal process in this case was not followed, it will trigger larger rallies against Ahok, the Jakarta governor who is seeking re-election in February 2017.
In the letter, the ulamas also mentioned several articles in the 1945 Constitution that could form the legal basis for their call, including article 1 para 2; article 1 para 3; article 4 para 1; article 24 para 1; article 27 para 1; and article 30 para 4. “Article 4 para 1 of the Constitution stipulates that the President of the Republic of Indonesia holds government power in accordance with the law,” he noted.
Article 30 para 4 stipulates that the Indonesian police is a state apparatus assigned to keep security and public order, protect and serve the public and uphold the law, he underlined. He lamented that it seemed the police had not bothered about the case despite widespread protests against the Jakarta governor.
The Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) said Ahok has committed blasphemy citing a Al Maidah verse 51. Ahok told people in the Seribu Islands not to be deceived by people using the verse asking them not to elect a non-Muslim leader in the forthcoming election.
ON Friday (10/28), Muslims in several provinces hold demonstration against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s (Ahok) religious blasphemy.
Hundreds of protesters from 25 Islamic organizations joined Lampung Islamic Movement took to the street. They urged the police to process Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s (Ahok) religious blasphemy case.
Protesters rallied in the street in front of the Taqwa Mosque, Jl Kotaraja, Bandar Lampung. ”We urged police to investigate Ahok who did religious blasphemy of Alquran particulary surah Al Maidah verse 51,” he said.
In the Bangka Belitung Province, thousands of protesters from Islamic Organizations also have held demonstration at the local Police Headquarters and Provincial Parliament office for the same purpose.
They ensured the protest were not correlated with politics. ‘We asked the police and Parliament to convey our aspirations to the National Police chief and the President to immediately process and arrest Ahok for insulting Islam,” Bangka Belitung branch of Indonesia Hizbut Tahrir (HTI) Chairman Sofiyan Rudianto said.
According to Sofiyan, without legal firm sanction, there would be another Ahoks doing religious defamation. “This will disrupt religious harmony in Indonesia and security will be unstable,” he said while asking the police to be neutral and professional in enforcing the law.
In front of Presidential Palace, DI Yogyakarta, thousand of people demanded Ahok to be put into justice. “I’m worried if Ahok is not get firm sanction, there will be a lot more massive movement coming from Muslims and this movement will spread all across the country,” Syukri Fadholi Chief of the local Unity and Development Party said.
In Bandung, West Java, rain did not stopped hundreds of youngster from Generasi Muda Jabar to hold demonstration in front of Gedung Sate. “We see no reason for the police to postpone Ahok’s imprisonment,” Coordinator of Darul Hikam Youth, Agus, remarked.
Muslims in West Nusa Tenggara appointed November 3rd as the deadline for the police to nail Ahok. They promised to hold a massive movement if Ahok has not been caught on that date.
North Sumatra Police Chief Rycko Amelza Dahniel agreed with the mass who demand the police to process Ahok religious blasphemy case. He noticed the case has been discussed not only nationally, but also international. “We hoped Jakarta Police would settle it accordingly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bekasi Metro Police Umar Surya Fana have listened aspirations from hundreds members of several Islamic organizations that formed Forum Ukhuwah Umat Islam Bekasi (FUUI). Umar said the aspiration will be conveyed to Jakarta Metro Police chief. “Meanwhile, let’s show Muslims are united, peace lover, and not anarchy,” he said in Bekasi, West Java.
Previously, in Padang, West Sumatra, thousands of people naming themself Forum Masyarakat Minangkabau (FMM) asked the police to hold equality before the law principle. They believed the case of religious blasphemy by a women in Bali would be a perfect example in handling Ahok. “She was caught and punished 14 month imprisonment,” Muhammad Siddiq of the FMM said on Sunday (10/23).
Maverick Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, as he is known, has never had a filter. Impulsive and polarising, the city’s first openly Christian and ethnic Chinese governor – a double minority in Indonesia – seems to court controversy.
He questioned a ban on beer sales in mini markets – “no one has ever died from from drinking beer” – suggested schools should not compel girls to wear hijab, insisted he needed no support from political parties and antagonised the urban poor with mass forced evictions.
“If only there were some magic tape to put [over his mouth] so that he would talk as we hope,” former Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri reportedly lamented at a meeting before her party announced it would endorse him in next February’s gubernatorial elections. “But there’s no such thing.”
For all this, the feisty, straight-talking governor is remarkably popular. Ahok, the former deputy governor, assumed the top role in 2014, when his predecessor Joko Widodo was elected president of Indonesia. His no-nonsense efficiency and tough stance on corruptionstruck a chord with voters, more than 95 per cent of whom are Muslim.
Ahok overhauled the stodgy bureaucracy, launched a smartphone app called Qlue which allowed Jakartans to report flood, crime, fire or waste, and worked on reducing floods and improving the city’s lamentable public transport.
The polls suggest he will be hard to beat: Poltracking Indonesia put his popularity at 92.56 per cent and his electability at 40.77 per cent in September.
But just days before the official election campaign begins on October 26, Ahok is being investigated by police over claims he defamed a verse in the Koran.
Prior to the alleged blasphemy, some Islamic groups had urged voters not to re-elect Ahok, citing verse 51 from the fifth sura or chapter of the Koran, al-Ma’ida, which some interpret as prohibiting Muslims from living under the leadership of a non-Muslim. Others say the scripture should be understood in its context – a time of war – and not interpreted literally.
Ahok apologised and insisted he was not criticising the Koranic verse but those who used it to attack him.
But on Friday thousands of hardline Muslims took to the streets, calling on police to process the case. The maximum penalty for blasphemy in Indonesia is five years’ jail.
“The investigation is still going on,” Ari Dono Sukmanto, the head of the national police’s Criminal Investigations Department, told Fairfax Media. “We are now transcribing from the video what was actually said, what actually happened.”
Sukmanto said Ahok would be summoned for questioning: “Everybody is equal before the law and we will need his explanation over what has happened for clarification.”
The two largest Islamic organisations in the country – Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – have stressed that they have no problem with a Muslim voting for a non-Muslim.
Masdur Anwar, the deputy secretary of the Jakarta chapter of NU, does not believe Ahok set out to insult Islam.
“It is impossible that he deliberately did it because it would be suicidal for him,” Anwar told Fairfax Media. “It was just a slip of the tongue. But I can understand those who think it was an insult. Perhaps it is an accumulated feeling [of resentment] about the way Ahok speaks. He is blunt and perhaps these folks couldn’t stand it any more.”
Anwar hopes police investigate the case quickly so the election campaign does not become sectarian.
An editorial in Tempo magazine says the Jakarta election will be a test of the maturity of the young democracy: “Just how far have people left behind primordial prejudices such as religion and race when they go to the polls next February?”
The gubernatorial election is a three-legged race. Ahok’s opponents are Agus Harimurti, the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and former education minister Anies Baswedan, who was dumped in the last cabinet reshuffle. Both were surprise candidates: Agus is a political novice who left behind a promising 16-year military career.
The stakes are high. “The position of governor can, as Ahok’s predecessor Jokowi demonstrated, be a springboard for higher office at the national level,” La Trobe University senior lecturer Dirk Tomsa writes. “Indeed, whoever wins in Jakarta next year might well be expected to find himself in the running for a presidential, or more likely, vice-presidential ticket in 2019.”
IMAMS yesterday warned congregants not to mistreat their parents or to take advantage of them as parents should be shown respect and affection by their children.
“What’s saddening is that there are some people who solicit money or use their parents’ old-age pension for their own family’s expenses, although that pension (provided by the government) is their parents’ only hope (to be used) for spending if the parents have no other source of income,” said imams in the sermon yesterday.
There are also parents, despite their advancing age, who are ordered to look after the grandchildren, imams said.
Imams added that majority of parents keep hide their feelings to prevent conflicts and being neglected by their own children.
“Parents need care and attention but because of the love for their children, they are willing to take the entire burden and bottle up their feelings.”
The sermon urged Muslims nationwide to fulfil their responsibilities toward their parents by showering them with love and affection and keeping their parents happy.
The sermon added that there are various ways to honour our parents which include speaking and addressing them politely and respectfully, fulfilling their wishes (as long as it does not go against Islam) and most importantly, praying for their wellbeing.
Imams also said that it is the duty of every children to take care of the elders’ needs and welfare and giving their parents financial support as many may no longer be able to sustain themselves in their advancing age.
“In a situation like this, as children we need to be patient in dealing with our parents’ behaviours. Do not lose your temper and patience easily as this will only devastate or hurt them,” imams said in the sermon yesterday.
“This is clearly narrated by Ibnu Umar who said, ‘causing parents to shed tears is among the disloyal (derhaka) and most sinful of acts’.”
Imams advised Muslims to refrain from abandoning their parents due to worldly affairs that keep them busy and causing them to neglect in caring for their own parents.
“Keep in mind that abandoning our parents is prohibited that should be avoided,” warned imams.
SOME 15,000 Muslims from various community organizations, Friday (10/14/2016), hit tables in the City Hall Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, to protest outside the Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama alleged to have degrading Al Qur’an and scholars.
Massa arrived at about 14:00 pm after a previous protest outside the building to urge the Police Criminal Ahok soon turned into a suspect for the offense.
The majority of the mass arrival wearing white costume that makes Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan whitened, while traffic was diverted because all the roads filled with humans.
What is unique, in order to cool the atmosphere and prevent anarchy, the police play a song of praise nuances of Islam when mass among others, are members of the FPI and FBR arrived.
The song playing is songs Asmaul Husna (99 names of Allah) that are downloaded from YouTube and play them through a smart phone that is connected to the car speakers.
“It is already prepared. We do this in order to calm protesters, “said Ronald Arita, Polda Metro Jaya Sabhara members were involved in securing course of action.
But the police action was apparently not very effective, because once the masses arrive, they immediately shouted: “Catch! Catch! Catch the Ahok! “
Muslims are very angry because during the policy Ahok former regent of East Belitung it to the Muslims tend to be discriminatory and oppressive.
Ahok prohibit Muslims from doing Tabligh Akbar in Monas, prohibits the sale of sacrificial animals on the roadside and prohibit slaughter of sacrificial animals in schools and public places.
The peak moment in the dialogue with the citizens of the Thousand Islands on 27 September 2016, Ahok said he does not matter if it is not selected again in Pilgub Jakarta in 2017, warned that linked the plea that Muslims do not elect a leader who is not a believer, citizens have been deceived by Surah Al Maidah paragraph 51.
MUI rate, with what it says it, as if to say that the contents Ahok verse 51 Surah Al Maidah incorrect and scholars who convey that paragraph to the people has been expressed things that are not true anyway, so Ahok considered to have been an insult to the Qur’an and scholars. (Man)
A NEWS report about a Bruneian man arrested in Saudi Arabia over alleged terror links is not true, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The National Security Committee said yesterday that Jeddah-based newspaper Saudi Gazette has admitted to the error in its reporting and published a correction on its website on September 20.
In its editor’s note appended to an article titled “53 terror suspects arrested during Haj”, the Saudi Gazette said it had erroneously reported that one of the suspects was a Brunei national.
Saudi Gazette’s e-paper reported on September 18 that an unidentified Bruneian man was recently apprehended by security forces in Riyadh on suspicion of terrorism, claiming that a growing number of expatriates living in Saudi were falling prey to ISIS propaganda.
However, subsequent investigations by the governments of Brunei and Saudi confirmed that no Brunei citizen was arrested.
The statement issued by PMO added that the National Security Committee, together with other security agencies in the country, will continuously monitor any activities that pose a threat to national security. Brunei citizens and residents were also reminded to abide by the law and warned against taking part in any terrorist or criminal activities in the country or abroad.
THE popularity of the hijab and Muslim fashion in Indonesia has been on the rise. A growing number of Indonesian women are wearing veil or headscarf in the world’s most populous Muslim majority market. Muslimwear has evolved from a religious and cultural movement to a fashion-savvy trend and booming industry.
The increased demand for Islamic clothing has encouraged the growth of the domestic Muslim fashion industry. In a relatively short time, muslimwear has become an important segment of the national textile industry (See Indonesia’s Textile Industry – Testing Times Upstream). The sector has been transformed from its origins in home industries and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to large-scale manufacturing today.
Hijab evolution in Indonesia
Before the New Order era, Muslim women in Indonesia used long scarves to loosely cover their hair. From the 1980s, the jilbab or veil that tightly covers the hair was introduced to Indonesia. However, the use of the veil in public schools and government institutions was temporarily restricted by the Soeharto administration; although this did not discourage the majority of Indonesian Muslims from observing what they felt was their religious duty. The rise in the number of women observing the hijab in Indonesia has given birth to a lucrative muslimwear industry. Since early 2000, the sector has been growing rapidly as more young, urban women adhere to the hijab. This new fashion-councious segment demanded Muslim clothing that does more than just cover the hair and body, but also feature appealing styles and designs.
To cater to this demand, a host of young, creative designers who were capable of designing fashionable and on trend Muslim fashion emerged. This included rising stars such as Ms Dian Pelangi who was named one of the 500 most influential persons in the fashion industry by UK-based magazine, Business of Fashion. In fact, a number of established figures in the local fashion industry such as Mr Itang Yunasz have moved into muslimwear design and have capitalised on this rapidly growing niche market. Islamic fashion in Indonesia is also no longer focused solely on female customers but is also targeting male customers with the launch of koko ortaqwa clothing lines.
Growing markets and customers
The hijab market in Indonesia can be divided into three segments; firstly, a simple and practical veil used by 60-70% of Indonesian women. This veil is sold in various colours and models at affordable prices; secondly, the shariah veil which is used by 10% of Indonesian women. This type of veil is longer and is available in conservative colours such as white, black and brown; lastly, the fashionable veil used by urban, middle-class women that come in a variety of colours and styles and is sold at premium prices.
The Indonesian hijab market is still dominated by the practical and simple veil model which retails for under 50,000 IDR for a headscarf and less than 200,000 IDR for a dress. Although the profit margin is low, its demand and sales volume are high which makes this segment highly-lucrative. In contrast, the fashionable hijab which is sold above the 200,000 IDR price point and even into the millions of IDR is relatively limited but offers high profit margins. The market opportunities for hijab products in Indonesia are still wide open, both for low-end as well as high-end segments due to the relatively low number of players in this sector. In addition, the demand for high-end, fashionable hijab products is not only limited to the domestic market but also the regional and international markets given Indonesia’s growing prominence as an Islamic fashion hub.
Muslimwear stores can also be found in traditional markets as well as modern malls with Tanah Abang and Thamrin City gradually becoming the wholesale centre of Islamic clothing, attracting shop owners from around the country sourcing the latest items to sell in their stores. There are also boutique stores that aim at high-end consumers with brands such as Shafira, Zara, and Rabbani, among others. Furthermore, as the number of internet users increases in Indonesia, e-commerce sites offering Islamic wear have mushroomed with brands such as Zoya, Hijup, Hijabenka and Elhijab, offering diverse product portfolios for all consumer segments. Online marketing coupled with reseller and dropship schemes offer lower operating costs and can reach a wider audience due to the absence of geographical constraints. As such, muslimwear has become a highly sought-after commodity and a rapidly growing industry in Indonesia.
Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Industry revealed that around 80% of muslimwear products are sold in the domestic market, while the remaining 20% are exported (See Indonesia’s Garment and Textile Sector; Short Term Woes). In 2015, Indonesia’s Muslim fashion exports reached $4.57 billion USD or around 58.5 trillion IDR. The figure is lower than that in 2014 of $4.63 billion USD with an export growth trend of 2.30%.
According to data from BPS (2013), the number of companies engaged in the fashion sector reached 1,107,955 units. Around 10% of them are large companies, 20% are medium enterprises and 70% are small enterprises (See Indonesia SMEs: Increased Government Support to Overcome Challenges). Of the 750,000 SMEs engaged in the clothing sector in Indonesia, around 30% of them are muslimwear producers, with large companies occupying 40%, while small and medium enterprises each occupy 30% respectively of the market.
Hijup, for example, now has 200 designers and growing customer base in 100 countries. With a five-fold annual turnover growth, the startup recently received seed funding from renowned global investors which included 500 Startups, Fenox Venture Capital, and Skystar Capital and has been included in the Google Developers Launchpad Accelerator programme. In February 2016, by invitation from the British Council, Hijup showcased its products at London Fashion Week.
Other rapidly growing muslimwear retailer, Elhijab, now has more than 184 retail outlets across Indonesia. Through the development of its e-commerce platform, Elhijab has managed to build its brand nationally and internationally and tap into export markets in Western Europe including the UK and France as well as the United States and the Middle East.
Going forward, Indonesia’s muslimwear exports will be focused on unsaturated markets such as the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, UK, Australia, Canada, UAE, Belgium, and China.
Increased competition
Despite making significant progress, Indonesia’s muslimwear industry still faces a number of challenges. Its product competitiveness is still low due to poor efficiency and low scalability. Other challenges faced by the country’s Islamic clothing industry include the lack of financing (See Indonesia’s Microfinance Sector Overview: Key Component for Sustainable Growth), cultural preferences, and the need to maintain the balance between upholding Islamic principles and following the latest global fashion trends.
Meanwhile, the major competitors for high-end hijab products are manufacturers from ASEAN countries, especially Malaysia and Thailand (See Indonesia and the ASEAN Economic Community – Ready for Regional Integration?). The latter, as one of the main textile producers in Southeast Asia, aims to make Bangkok a hub for muslimwear industry. Thailand’s Islamic fashíon industry is mostly located in the Muslim dominated southern provinces, with around 80% of its products exported to Malaysia before they are re-exported to various countries with an annual turnover of around $28 million USD.
Malaysia is Indonesia’s biggest competitor in the fashionable hijab segment. Hijab producers and retailers in the country have already had a head start in terms of marketing by utilising e-commerce and social media platforms; particularly Instagram, to market their products. One of the Malaysian hijab brands that has successfully gone global is Naelofar. In 2015, the family-owned company managed to record sales of $11.8 million USD. Another leading brand is Mimpikita which was invited to shòwcase its products at London Fashion Week in 2015.
The main competitor for low-end hijab products is China which offers cheaper products (See What China’s Slowdown Means for Indonesia: A Trade Perspective). This is critical because domestic customers tend to prioritise price over quality which prompts hijab sellers to turn to reselling Chinese products instead of helping develop local products. Moreover, the hijab’s growing popularity in Indonesia and other countries has lured retailers and designers from non-Muslim countries to launch muslimwear lines themselves. The Japanese retailer, Uniqlo, for instance, hired a popular Muslim fashion blogger, Ms Hana Tajima, to design a Muslim clothing line for their brand.
In September, British model Ms Mariah Idrissi became the first woman wearing a headscarf to star in a commercial for H&M; the world’s second-biggest clothing retailer. In 2014, DKNY launched a Ramadan collection and other western brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Mango have followed suit by selling Muslim clothing during Ramadan.
Towards a global Islamic fashion capital
According to a report by Thomson Reuters and Dinar Standard in the Global Islamic Economy Report, the world’s 1.6 billion Muslim consumers spent $266 billion USD on clothing in 2013, and are projected to spend $484 billion USD by 2019. Muslim countries with the highest clothing consumption are Turkey at $25 billion USD, followed by Iran at $21 billion USD, Indonesia at $17 billion USD, Egypt at $16 billion USD, and Saudi Arabia at $15 billion USD, based on 2012 data. This excluded Muslims in Western Europe (Germany, France, UK) and North America who collectively spent an estimated $21 billion USD on clothing and footwear in 2012. Collectively, the Muslim clothing consumer market is only second after the largest market in the world – the United States, with $494 billion USD in spending.
Meanwhile, the biggest clothing producers and exporters within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, Morocco, and Pakistan. Thus far, despite its huge market potential, there is no single Muslim clothing brand that has been capable of becoming a global player due to market fragmentation and differing cultural preferences.
Indonesia has set a target to become a global Muslim fashion capital by 2020. According to the Deputy Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Ms Emilia Suhaimi, the target is attainable since Indonesian hijabs are unique and more diverse compared to those from other countries. Moreover, the industry is backed by an ample supply of creative human resources and a rich cultural heritage (SeeIndonesia’s Creative Economy & Heritage Products – A Wealth of Opportunities). To show its support, the Indonesian government is considering assigning a standard HS code for Islamic wear.
Indonesia has routinely organised annual Islamic fashion shows to help promote the domestic muslimwear industry at the international level. These events include Indonesian Muslim Fashion Week, the International Indonesian Islamic Fashion Fair, and Muslim Fashion Festival Indonesia 2016. Moreover, the Indonesian government also encourages local Muslim fashion designers to participate in overseas exhibitions to introduce their brands to global customers. These efforts combined make Indonesia a firm contender for becoming a global Islamic fashion centre. The country’s diverse hijab designs also places it in a strong position for garnering international appeal at this key time when Islamic fashion is growing at a rapid pace both in emerging markets as well as among Muslim communities in advanced economies.
WHEN did Islam come to Brunei? Most western historians argued that Brunei Darussalam only began to accept Islam in the 16th century, that is, after the fall of the Malacca sultanate in 1511.
A number of historians such as K G Tregonning in his book “From Earliest Time to 1511” (1957), D G E Hall in his book “Sejarah Asia Tenggara” (1979), J F Cady in his book ‘”South East Asia: Its Historical Development” (1963) and Nicholas Tarling in his book “South East Asia: Past and Present”’ (1966) all wrote that Brunei replaced Malacca as the new centre to spread the teachings of Islam.
Robert Nicholl in his book published by the Brunei Museums entitled “European Sources for the History of the Sultanate of Brunei in the 16th century” (1975) compiled a number of European sources, which also suggested that the Brunei sultanate was still not a Muslim nation during the early 16th century.
Pg Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohammad Pg Hj Abd Rahman, the former Minister of Religious Affairs, in his book entitled “Islam di Brunei Darussalam” (1992) noted that western historians did not seem to take into account that Islam had spread widely in Southeast Asia even before the 16th century. Gravestones found in Brunei indicated that Muslims had been buried in the cemeteries with the stones dating a few centuries earlier than the 16th century.
One of the earliest known was a Chinese Muslim by the name of Pu Kung Chihmu, who died in 1276 A D. Therefore, there must be a Muslim community in Brunei which enabled him to be buried as a Muslim when he died. This, according to Pg Dato Hj Mohammad, was not impossible.
He noted that evidences in a number of places in Southeast Asia showed that Islam was already being accepted much earlier. In Leran, East Java a gravestone bearing the name of Fatimah Maimon Hibatullah was found dated 1082 AD; in Champa, Vietnam, a gravestone belonging to Abu Kamil Ahmad was dated 1039 AD; and in Pasai, it was a gravestone belonging to Sultan al-Malik al-Saleh dated 1297 AD.
An article, which recently came to light in support of this, was found in a book published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2000 entitled “The Silk Roads Highways of Culture and Commerce”, which contained a small selection of papers from the international seminars organised during UNESCO Silk Road expeditions.
One of the articles was written by a Chinese scholar by the name of Chen Da-sheng entitled ‘”A Brunei Sultan of the Early Fourteenth Century: A Study of an Arabic Gravestone”, which comprised Chapter Eight of the book.
We are very fortunate that the paper was included, as Brunei at that point in time was not a member of UNESCO. Chen Da-sheng sailed on the expedition ship, the Fulk-al-Salamah, visiting several countries including Brunei. He was from Quanzhou and was interested in the gravestone of Pu Kung Chihmu, who was also from Quanzhou. During his visit, he visited various cemeteries in Brunei.
In his research, Chen Da-sheng was attracted to an article in the Brunei Museums Journal (1987), where two former senior Museum officials, Metassim Hi Jibah and Suhaili Hj Hassan wrote about “Tomb of Maharaja Brunei”, which was found at the Dagang Cemetery at Jalan Residency. He was very surprised that the undated gravestone was very similar to the gravestones that had been found in Quanzhou.
Quanzhou was an important trading harbour during the Song Dynasty. The Ashab Mosque or the Qingjing Mosque is a mosque found in Quanzhou constructed in 1009 AD, and this remained as the oldest Arab-style mosque in China.
In the city, there is also the Yisalangjiao Sheng Mu or Islamic Holy Graves built on the Ling Shan, the mountain of spirits on the East of Quanzhou city. The Yisalangjiao Sheng Mu graves are the resting places of early Islamic missionaries of the 7th century.
Chen Da-sheng immediately recognised that the gravestone belonging to the Emperor of Brunei was similar to the Muslim gravestones that were once used in Quanzhou, and he deduced that the gravestone in Brunei was made in Quanzhou as the material for the gravestone which was ‘diabase’ was not found in Brunei. Diabase or also known as dolerite is a subvolcanic rock similar to volcanic basalt.
The front of the gravestone had Arabic inscriptions and these were translated to read:
This tomb belongs to the late martyr
Sultan, a learned and just man
a protector and conqueror. He was called
Maharaja Bruni. Forgive him
Allah with His grace and Pleasure
May Allah bless Muhammad
and all his descendants
The back of the stone had this engraving:
Every soul must taste of death,
and ye shall only be paid your hire
upon the resurrection day
But he who is forced away from the fire
This stone was not dated, and neither was the king who died identified other than as the Maharaja Brunei. As such, this king could not be cross referenced to the royal genealogy of the Sultans of Brunei; and the genealogy began with Sultan Muhammad said to reign from 1363 AD.
Chen Da-sheng noted that in Quanzhou, when excavations were made of these ancient Muslim graves, the majority of gravestones were made from diabase. In the 1920s and 1930s, a great number of these gravestones were excavated when the ancient wall of Quanzhou was demolished. The current collection of Arabic and Persian stones inscriptions of the Quanzhou Foreign Maritime Museum is the richest of all museums in China.
After studying and cross referencing with the gravestones that had been recovered in Quanzhou, Chen Da-sheng discovered that the inscriptions on the Brunei gravestone were very similar to another gravestone belonging to Fatimat Naina Ahmad, who died in Quanzhou in 1301 AD.
Chen Da-sheng believed that the two stones were inscribed by the same people as the writings were identical. No other similar stone has been found in Brunei. Upon discussion with the Brunei Museum officials, it was also confirmed that all the inscriptions for subsequent sultans were written in Jawi with the exception of this gravestone, which was written in Arabic.
With regard to the age, Chen Da-sheng explained that the Muslims in Quanzhou were massacred after they lost a war known as the Ispah Rebellion in 1366 AD, and the winning army killed all the Muslim population they could find. After 1366, it was very hard to find any Arabic inscriptions on any gravestones in Quanzhou. The few that could be found in the outlying villages are different in style, shape and paleography.
Chen Da-sheng argued that based on the facts above, this provided evidence that the Muslim kingdom established in Brunei was certainly during the late 13th and early 14th century. In Chen Da-sheng words, “the Arabic gravestone of Sultan Maharaja Brunei presented evidence that a Muslim kingdom already existed in Brunei about AH 700 (1301 AD). It sheds new light on the study of the early history of the Muslim kingdoms established in Brunei and even in Sumatra.”
If this is true, and supported with the written records of the Boxer Codex, this means that the official date of the first Brunei Muslim sultanate of 1376 AD needs to be adjusted, and that Brunei could be one of the early Malay Muslim kingdoms, or there is even the possibility that Brunei could even be the earliest in the Southeast Asian region.
Currently, Pasai in Sumatra is considered to be the earliest Muslim kingdom because a gravestone belonging to Sultan al-Malik al-Salleh dated 1297 AD was found there. Who knows when exactly did the Brunei Muslim sultanate began? It could be earlier than that of Sultan al-Malik al-Salleh.
Rozan Yunos
Islam In Indonesia 