Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah
Alor Setar Town. Wish to visit it this Qurban holiday but I have assignments and thesis to finish :(
This post is based of
Dr. Zahidi Zainol Rashid research from
the Kedah Library Corporation. It is very interesting to read research from
local researchers because we only read something from Western writers about our
community even in British Malaya.
Not many of us actually
are aware about our own community since we had been registered as Malays in
Malaysia. Even some politicians in Malaysian national party and those involved
in business like Mr. Syed Mukhtar al-Bukhary are also of Arab descent. I had checked his details in wikipedia and his ethnicity status had already been changed to Malay from Arab descents ya. You get business and you lie about your self yah... I don’t think that
I am eligible for native rights for now if it is according to most of our
compatriots thinking though we had been here for more than 300 years because we
as individuals do not really receiving proper assistance in our life from
political game. Some people also do not like Mr. Syed al-Bukhary since we have
current issues like the digital TV so everyone is entitled to their opinion and
inclination. The issue doesn’t really bother me anyway, haha.
Supposedly we are registered
as the Arab descents or just Arabs and not of other ethnicity identification
but the British authority had converted everyone into Malays just because many
of those who live in the state are fluent Classical Malay speakers, wearing
sarong, married to Malay women or men, eating rice and working in the field.
Thanks to British ‘master’ teaching of nation-state where everyone is
compulsory to be converted into a particular race as a religion.
Why can’t we
be entitled to native privileges with our own ethnicity identification or just
known by our religion while in our state, we are already considered as integral
part of it since hundreds of years before independence granted by Her Highness
Queen? I am also researching the same problem about Muslim Indians,
Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis in Britain where they were told as trying to
Islamicize Britain into Britishstan with Shariah, "Hand-Cutting," or Hijab zone. Perhaps
some part of the threaten are true but I just personally think that Europeans
are always paranoid of everything because they never really mingle with people
around instead of boasting here and there. In this case, we are of the same
religion people where Malays and Arabs are Muslims but with different racial
background in the political frame taught by British. You British are our
teachers…
I had also seen many
Muslim Indians like in Penang racing among each other to get Malay status but they
speak no Malay at home and they look Indian. They read and write in Tamil while calling themselves Malays. They also eat thoshai, curry, murungakai, raasam, payaasam, and etc and not Malay cuisines at home. Compared to my Hindu classmate whose name is Prema, she said that she also had rice like Malay at home and she does not know how to read or write in Tamil. Most of them are Tamil and Kerala Muslims and they had
also married some Arab descents and hijacked the term Jawi Pekan from us. One
of my cousin sisters who live in Penang is also married to a Muslim Indian and
the guy family speaks pure Tamil but being identified as Malay. Isn’t it bad to
lie? Our state had also been integrated in federal system of the country with
centralized power in the south. I would actually prefer to be known as a Muslim
like our Chinese national friends who are all considered as Hui but they speak Chinese like the
majority of Han ethnic. We are indeed Muslims who believe in the God and the
prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w, so we are not lying about ourselves in this part. Would it be better?
If we are forced to use
nationality, then I would prefer to be known by my state identification, which
is Kedah. Everyone in our family love our state and it would be called as kenegerian (spirit of a state) by others in urban areas which is in
the southern states and considered as not patriotic toward Federal government
which is also located in the southern part. I saw that Johorian are also kenegerian while nobody say anything to them.
I faced problems in
other states other than my state too. Those like in Selangor had discriminated
us when we just arrived from other state so I mingled more with Chinese friends
at the neighborhood. It was like we were foreigners in our own country. I
understood how some Kelantanese feel but we from Kedah are not like Kelantanese
with our groups.
We are usually
independent to ourselves and we try to mix around as possible as we can. I had
also adapted myself into Chinese environment of Cheras of Kuala Lumpur when I
was a young child before we moved for a moment to Kedah. We speak, we eat, we
entertain ourselves and we behaved just like our Chinese neighbors. We have to
survive in pressures when we migrated to other area even as young kids. So,
that is why many people stumbled by would see a guy who is telling a “chaotic”
young kid life. Growing like an isolated Chinese or Indian kid while not
considered as a compatriot by others because some differences in our selves.
We
had also a neighbor from Egypt last time and she is married to an Imam from Terengganu. Her children are poor things. I saw them being
treated badly by Malay kids when they tried to befriend them. All of them could
not excel well in school too but they are not really lazy or stupid. I and my sister felt like crying when looking at the
report card that they had shown to us. They speak Egyptian Arabic at home and that perhaps being a problem for them when they were registered by their father into national school. Inshaallah,
I would also paste here a video, actually a movie starred by Muhammad Hilmy about an Egyptian Arab
man who is an American by nationality had to face troubles in search for his
own heritage in the mother of the world. Perhaps if I go for Yemen and speaking
in Arabic, I would also being treated the same like the character played by Muhammad Hilmy, hahaha.
The Arabs in Kedah were
divided into two kinds of Arabs. One is of Sayyid
descents of Ba’alawi or Alawiyyah. They are the descents of Hussein bin Ali k.w and Fatimah binti Rasulullah s.a.w. Most had
arrived since 17 C. Before their arrival in Kedah, they had already stayed in
Palembang, Acheh, Jambi, Singapore, Patani, Burma, Penang, and Perak. They came
from many places in Yemen such as Sana Shahrir. Later they settled down in Kota Setar, Kuala Muda, Yan and Kubang Pasu. Our ancestors settled down
in Kota Setar and Kubang Pasu. They had also married women
from Gujarat where a village in Kubang Pasu was known with people of
Arab-Gujarat descent and they were not even Malays to begin with. There is also
Arab community in Gujarat province of India which is known as Chawsh.
Some people might say muka belacan to people who call
themselves Arabs now but for me I just do not want to lie and it is not that I
wanted to boast about it. We realize that we look more Mongoloid than Arabs or
Malays because of our mother genetic. I don’t take shrimp paste and I don’t
take seafood as it is not permissible in our manhaj. I am not sure how belachan or how mongol I look like. Usually I would be mistaken by Nepalese migrant workers as one of them;
some Punjabis (Western Indian) had also talked in Punjabi with me. When there are majority of Northern Indians or Arabs in a certain place, I would feel comfortable and mingle more with them compared to Malays. We also have the right to learn our ancestral language which is Arabic, speak in it and first we have to realize who we are just like our Chinese compatriots realize about who they are. Chinese compatriots had taught me many valuable lessons. Nowadays most of all are just fluent in Malay or English. Some perhaps speaking in Urdu, Chinese or Thai.
Those Arabs who were
not Sayyid came earlier and settled
in Kedah. Examples of them are Syeikh
Ahmad bin Syeikh Ja’afar Qamiri, Syeikh Ahmad bin Syeikh Salleh Mawtti, Sheikh
Ibrahim al-Biyari and Sheikh Abdullah.
Sheikh Ibrahim for example was
invited by his highness Tunku Mahmud,
the brother of our beloved Sultan Abdul
Hamid who ruled around 1882-1934. Sheikh
Ibrahim was also a Chief Imam and a teacher of Quranic lessons.
Early stages of their
arrival, the Arabs were visitors and traders. When Islam emerged again after
the darkness, many religious science teachers and missionaries also arrived at
the port and they settled in Kedah. Arabs as an integral part of Kedah society
had been involved in political development in Kedah.
Many of Arabs from Sayyid descent are the Shahabuddin clan and they are the majority
clan in Kedah. Most of them came from Hadramawt
but stayed for few moments in Palembang, Acheh, and Pulau Pinang. Barakbah clan had arrived from Indonesia
and from Yemen. One of a Sayyid who
held an office in Sultanate of Kedah government was Sayyid Muhammad Aidid. He was a Secretary of Kedah Sultanate
Affairs during the reign of our Sultan
Abdul Hamid.
Kedah state nowadays is
known as the oldest state in Malaysia. We have historical tracks based from
archeological excavations, written sources, and inscriptions. The Kedah
Sultanate had already proved that it has a well-built society, possessing a
state element, and employing its own political system. The emergence of Kedah
kingdom since ancient time as a well-developed trading center and famous around
the world was a factor which relates to the arrival of Arabs into the Kedah
kingdom.
Urmmm... Please don’t throw out... We also want to have pride of ourselves like
Europeans and telling everyone around how marvelous our states are although our
state is just a small state compared to the EU member states or even Sarawak in
our federation, hehehe. I also felt the same in our classes learning about how magnificent Europe is. It does not count the US yet where some of my friends are also worshiping the US as their oracle with the influence of American movies and entertainment stuffs like American Idol, Justin Fag Bieber, Lady Ugly Gaga and etc.
The significance of Jerai Mountain in Kedah plateau for
ships that sailed and the dependence on the monsoon wind and economy value in
Kedah also became an important factor in the questions of the Arabs’ arrival in
Kedah ports. The result from Kedah Malays with those people in Arabian states
and the coming of Arabs themselves had earlier spread the light of Islam to
Kedah kingdom compared to other states in Malaysian Peninsula today.
The Sayyids are known for their profession
as traders and they were making life from business. Just like Chinese and
Indian in the cities. Other than trading, some of them were also involved in
agricultural activities. For those Sayyids, agricultural activities like paddy
cultivating are considered as new way of making a living which their
forefathers had never done it before in Hadramawt.
Those in Hadramawt only know a kind
of plant which is tamr or date tree.
So, trying to do paddy field was quite difficult for these Arabs since their
life was based on the character of desert and it is different from trading.
In trading field, Arabs
had traded various kinds of spices, clothes, books, and jewelries. Before the
arrival of British in Pulau Pinang, the Arabs depend solely on business and
trading and had controlled some parts of Kedah Sultanate economy. Arab
communities did not only concentrated in particular areas in Kedah but they
live all over Kedah Sultanate. Their nature is more inclined to business and
trading. The Arab traders had already penetrated the areas of South East Asia
since before the re-emergence of Islam. In the beginning, they just wanted to
do business and trading and later bringing some profits from business to their
states of origin but later they ended down here with settlements.
When Islam was
propagated again by the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w, these Arabs had also
brought together the teaching and propagated it to natives. They had left their
family and their lands to propagate the teachings. Then they settled down in
foreign lands and beginning new life. Due to their condition in foreign land,
they have to survive through business and trading since they had no lands.
After that, the court of Kedah had also support them so they had more
opportunities in economy where the economy of traditional Malays were fully
controlled by the rulers.
Arabs at that time had
the experience in business and they had good relation with court. The court had
also opened for them the opportunity to run business as the right to do
business was only granted by royal decree or by certain authority decided under
royal permission. Only the sultan has the right to permit anyone he favors to
run business in his territory.
Many Arabs had already successful as entrepreneurs where they had also possessed companies and became
directors of companies. It has to do with their experience in business beside
they possess large capitals and strong basis in business. When British arrived
from Pulau Pinang, Arabs economic survival had also been challenged. Then, they
had also have to compete with Chinese merchants after Chinese penetrated Kedah
market. From that on, they began to get involved in groceries shop business as
well. I see, that’s why many of our
people now trying to use other identification in securing their business
survival and the mamaks had imitate it.
The impact from the
competition of British and Chinese had made Arabs moving far into rural areas.
Beside doing business and trading, they also trying to do agricultural and
became landlords. Some of the lands were granted by the Sultan of Kedah as the
lands in Kedah was the possession of the Sultan. The Sultan has every right on
the lands and he would stamp the seal with the signature of the Regent.
Thus, many of those
paddy lands and farms being transferred into Arabs possession with the
permission of our Sultan. But many of those Arabs had also pawned the lands to
Chinese merchants to get quick money. For e.g in 1911, the rights for duty
import collection on timber being granted by the court to Sayyid Othman from
Yan district but he had pawned the right to a Chinese merchant for $ 400.00 per
year. Many of Arabs during this period of time became bancrupt.
These recent, there
are also Arabs who tried to involve themselves in agriculture and fishing
industries. They were landlords in Yan, Kota Setar, Kuala Muda and Kubang Pasu
districts. They were also active in renting their lands to others and never
work on their own lands. They just love to stay at home and take everything for
granted.
Their attitude is
related to the importance of status and their position as aristocrats and
noblemen who possess properties as what had been viewed by Malays as having big
houses complete with facilities and they have less working hours.
Paddy field is a main
economy source in Kedah Sultanate during the time of British Malaya. With 12 miles
early channel of water developed by subjects of Kedah Sultanate had made paddy
cultivation become more advanced and Kedah could also supply rice to other
areas as well. The water channel project of Wan Muhammad Saman and other
figures like Syed Othman who had pawned his duty rights to a Chinese merchant
had also involved with the regard to his area of supervision in Little Yan
district was quite succesful.
Small portions of Arab
communities became fishermen and there were also poor Arabs in Kedah since they
only worked with others. They refused to admit that they were Arabs or even of
Sayyid lineage. They had ommitted their Sayyid title as they were ashamed of
their life if compared to other Arabs in the state.
During the reign of
Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah (1854-1879), there was a new position given
to an Arab with the name Syed Muhammad. Syed Muhammad became a captain for a
ship and was ordered to maintain and looking the ship with two sails bought by
the Sultan from English.
Early history had
shown that Arabs directly was involved in most of religious posts and affairs in the
sultanate. When Kedah was surrendered by the empire of Siam to the British empire, all
of the posts were paid with salary. Main posts like the mufti, judges, imam and
others were held by Arabs. In education, they held postions such as directors,
headmasters of religious and English schools, and supervisors of schools.
Regarding lands, last time I heard that elders had also
fighting and quarreling over lands until some of them had to run to Southern
Thai as it turned into bloody conflict. We had also sold our grandpa land for
dad’s part in Kodiang in Kubang Pasu district. Mum had forced dad to sell his
inherited land when I was in the second year doing my first degree because it
was not easy to maintain the land for paddy and considering that the family who
rent the land didn’t help us to pay the tithe as they are non-Muslims and we are not living in the state so it was difficult for us to monitor renting rate and tithe for crops. The land
was rented to a Chinese family under the
surname Hooi. After the land being sold, I heard that dad cried on the land as
he felt guilty to his father but what to do. The land had already been
problematic since before it was inherited to dad and we had gone to courts for
solutions but to no avail. Dad sold the land to a rich Malay man. I was busy at
that time so I did not also look at the process. I also do not want to inherit the land. It only bring headache.
We had also encountered many problems like being cheated
and stabbed by friends or ‘relatives’ as we helped people without checking
their background. I don’t know whether our custom is suitable at all of the
time. We would consider our close friends even not related by blood as brothers
or sisters. So each time close friends having problems, we would also been
dragged into their problems as we would feel guilty to let them alone. It’s
like we live and die only for the happiness and comfort of our friends,
brothers and sisters. We also would repay back the goodness done on us. In the
case, one of a Tabligh guy that I sheltered. Last time, he actually had helped
me with internet password. It was not really a big deal but we see even small
matters as big and we must repay back whatever is given. I always remember
people treatment to me because I count everything. Even a cent that people gave
me, I actually never forget. I keep every detail in my memory. Sometimes it
would be so absurd and people would regard us as crazy or perhaps scary,
hahaha.
Urmmm, the fact about renting the land is true. But
according to dad, our grandpa was not a lazy man. This is individual case. He
was a hardworking man and also worked as a seeker of fertilizers. If dad lied
then I am also lying. Like in our case as individuals and not as groups, we do not live in Kedah but we have to
migrate to other states because of family problem, fate and we do not work only
as traders and farmers. Some of these
Arab decents children had been educated in nursing schools in case of my
aunties and my dad was educated in a Singaporean Catholic school just after
grandpa died. He was 12 years old at that time and luckily he was not baptized
though he lived like a person without a religion, without a mother to teach him
because his mother died when he was three years old being casted by black magic
and I always thought that Malay village folks always love to cast spell on
others that they are envious at. This is my generalization on other ethnics. Why
people around the world love to generalize things without looking at discreet
root problems instead of trying to do interview with both sides either the pros
and contras? Life would be easy if we can always do generalizations ya?
What had been mentioned in this research is also right in
certain parts, because I also met other Arab descents and I myself do not like
their attitude. Most of them who are still rich today or filthy rich could we
say, are arrogant and Westernized too. I don’t even consider myself as related
to them but rather stay quite though we know each other. I don’t even dare to
go into cousin brother house because my feet perhaps are dirty and I am not
also close to them.
Some of us also received and accepted religious teachings
with the Mercy of the God. We soon realized our responsibility to propagate the
faith and the noble life and morality to ourselves and environment. I myself never try to take
any advantage from privileges but instead trying to strictly follow morality
guidance of religion. I just live like a hermit, wearing clothes like a street
wanderer, isolating myself if I did wrong to others, I hate possessions and I don’t want
anything associated with world attachment like lands, money, or etc. We look
everything at individual capacity can’t we? : )
I think it is also a good idea for us to find more researches about Arab communities in our state. Because I saw that many of those "racists" are actually of foreign ancestral lineage and that means that they are the one who are tak sedar diri. They perhaps are afraid that their "rights" would be uprooted in what we call as attachment to the world. This earth is not our possession but the possession of the God, the King of the Universe. No need to boast about true blood, Aryan blood, strong race blood, genius race, or whatever it is. In the end everyone will be rotten in the grave holes and we carry dirty things in our intestines. Look at everyone first as a human-being and whether he is a God fearing person or not. We do not look as this race or that race or looking at their status or position in society because the God does not care about that. He is far More Great, possessing Dominion, and Rich compared to anyone in the earth or heaven. I had talked about this with a Malay friend too in our discussion maybe I could make a post about the discussion regarding our experience : )
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!
