Jawi Peranakan

The Jawi Peranakan were an elite group within the Malay community in mid-nineteenth century Malaya. The term Jawi Peranakan referred to locally-born Muslims of mixed Indian (especially Tamil) and Malay ancestry. In addition to their substantial wealth and social standing, they are remembered for setting up the "Jawi Peranakan", the world's first Malay language newspaper.

History

Since Singapore's founding in 1819, the number of Indian immigrants to the island grew rapidly. Most were southern Indian men. Indian women travelled to Singapore only from the 1860s, and even then in small numbers. This led to a shortage of Indian brides, and so Indian Muslim men often married Malay women. Some non-Muslim Indians might also have married Malay women, and subsequently converted to Islam. The descendants of these unions were called Jawi Peranakan.

"Jawi" is an Arabic word to denote Southeast Asia, while Peranakan is a Malay word meaning "born of" (it also refers to the elite, locally-born Chinese). More broadly, Indian Muslims without mixed parentage but born in the Straits Settlements were sometimes also called Jawi Peranakan, as were children from Arab-Malay marriages. Similar terms for mixed Malay-Indian people were "Jawi Pekan" (mostly used in Penang) and "Peranakan Kling" (mostly used in Malacca), the latter made popular by the great early Malay chronicler, Munshi Abdullah. Jawi Peranakan families were found throughout Malaysia, especially Penang, and Singapore.

Description

The Jawi Peranakan chose their spouses carefully, screening prospective matches for wealth and status, rather than racial origins. This enabled intermarriage between Jawi Peranakan and other prosperous local Muslim communities, like the Arabs, Indians and the Malay royalty. Despite their eagerness to adopt Malay culture and be accepted as Malays, the Jawi Peranakan maintained a distinct identity which was captured in their architecture, clothing, jewellery and cuisine. Culturally, they contributed to the to the art scene of the region, especially in music and dance.

The Jawi Peranakan were enterprising and progressive. By the late 19th century, they had accumulated considerable wealth and status and contributed to the economy as merchants and land dealers. They were also literate and English-educated, easily qualifying for government jobs. A group of Jawi Peranakan financed the first Malay language newspaper, the Jawi-Peranakan. Its first editor was Munsyi Mohamed Said Bin Dada Mohiddin, a South Indian Muslim who remained as editor for 12 years, from 1876 to 1888.

Demise of the community

There are a few Jawi Peranakan families left in Singapore and Malaysia, especially Penang, which used to be their largest settlement. However, most today register as Malays. The loss of their identity is due to various causes. Economically, other competing mercantile groups were emerging, especially the Chinese. By the 1930s, the Jawi Peranakan grew increasingly dependent on government and clerical jobs.

By the turn of the 20th century, the political climate favoured the Malays. As the largest 'racial' group and the indigenous people of Malaya, they were seen as the natural successors to the British, with the waning of the British Empire. Projecting an identity that was distinctly apart from the Malays was therefore not expedient. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Jawi Peranakan were also criticised for their brand of religious belief which did not conform to the widely-practised Shafi Islam. To make matters worse, the Jawi Peranakan tended to be reformist and they challenged the authority of the Malay royalty in religious matters. Most were born and bred in the Straits Settlements, and had never been a subject of the Sultan. They therefore lacked this political and cultural quality, which was seen to define a 'true Malay'. In addition, the Jawi Peranakan's affiliations with the India-inspired religious Tabligh movement came under fire from some religious and public figures as this association was not considered "patriotic".

Tabligh Affiliation

Jemaat Tabligh was founded in Delhi, India in 1925 with the aim of renewing the spirit of Islam. Missionaries and volunteers of the movement spread to other countries and set up bases in mosques or prayer houses. There, they recruited members from young men between the ages of 12 and 25. These recruits distinguished themselves with their Arab-styled clothes, and they indulged in extended religious discussions. This kind of retreat was favoured by some older Muslims as it reduced delinquency and waywardness among the youth while heightening their personal integrity. The local mosque which became the base owed allegiance to a counterpart back in India or Pakistan. The religious discourses were rarely conducted in Malay. Urdu, Tamil, Arabic or English was the language medium used and this further contributed to the alienation of the Jawi Peranakan and Indian Muslims from the Malay community.

ee also

*Tamil Muslim

References

Singapore Infopedia article on the Jawi Peranakan http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_356_2005-01-13.html

Nagata, J. A. (1984). The reflowering of Malaysian Islam: Modern religious radicals and their roots (pp. 14, 118-122, 186, 249). Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.(Call no.: R 297.09595 NAG)

Tan, Y. S., & Soh, Y. P. (1994). The development of Singapore's modern media industry media industry (pp. 8-9). Singapore: Times Academic Press.(Call no.: RSING 338.4730223 TAN)

Urban Redevelopment Authority, Preservation of Monuments Board. (1991). Jamae Mosque preservation guidelines (pp. 7-9). Singapore: Author. (Call no.: RSING 363.96095957 JAM)

Jeman Sulaiman. (1988, November 7). The rise of Malay newspaper. The Straits Times, p. 6.

Khoo, S. N. (2001, August 30). A rich legacy. The Star (Malaysia), Lifestyle.

Mohani Musa. (2001, October 25). The Penang story: Flags of conflict. The Star (Malaysia), Lifestyle.