Anti-Semitism in Indonesia - Research Paper Example

?Anti-Semitism in Indonesia Introduction From research, it is evident that, in the pre-colonial East Indies and Modern Indonesia, there is a history of minority presence of Jews and anti-Semitic expression. The country itself is predominantly Muslim, with at least 90% of the population being practicing Islam (Hadler, 2004). There are more than 200 ethnic groups in the country, composed of the Muslims mentioned and other minorities of Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. There are also Chinese minorities in the country, who are discriminated against as much as the Jews in the country. In most Islamic countries, the anti-Semitic attitudes felt can be alluded to some underlying cause, but in Indonesia, the cause is just because of the country’s affiliation with Islam and the general dissatisfaction in the country. This paper will trace the history of anti-Semitism in Indonesia; give the relationship of the anti-Semitism with Islam and the factors that have contributed to the discrimination of minorities in the country. History of Jews in Indonesia According to Hadler (2004), after the discovery of raw materials and other resources in the 17th century by the Dutch, the development of the island was mainly helped by the Dutch Jews present then. Some of the earliest history indicates that the first Jewish settlement was first developed in the Sunda Island as early as 1850, and in that period, most of the Jews in the country were either of Dutch or German descent. These Jews lived primarily in Jakarta, Indonesia, and in that period, the first efforts were done to organize the Indonesian Jews into one community. However, these efforts failed, and the few families that lived there remained scattered. Later, in the early 1900s, arrivals of Jews from other countries like the Netherlands led to the formation of different Jewish centers in the country. As early as 1921, it is estimated that as many as 2,000 Jews lived in the main Jewish settlement or congregation in Surabaya. Most of these were originally the Baghdadi Jews who moved into the country. In these settlements, the Jews in then Indonesia were mainly traders or operated financial institutions in the country. After the Nazi scourge in the 1930s, more Jews arrived in Indonesia to escape Hitler’s war, but in the late 193os, the arrival of the Japanese forced several of them into prisons. When the Japanese took over the islands, their allegiance with the Germans forced them to place many Jews into prisons and internment camps. These included both the immigrant Jews and the original Dutch Jews who were in the country before. After the Second World War, the huge congregation of Jews in Indonesia started to dwindle, since most of them left after losing their possessions and homes to the Japanese. However, the community grew up again in Surabaya in the 1950s, but with the rise of anti-Dutch concerns in the country, most of them left for the Americas and Israel. This meant that by the 1970s, the Jewish settlement in Indonesia had once again reduced to a smattering of people (Hadler, 2004). Origin of Anti-Semitism in Indonesia According to Hadler (2004), there are two main reasons for the anti-Semitic sentiments in modern day Indonesia, the introduction of anti-Semitism by European Nazi sympathizers and the influence of Japanese propaganda during their occupation of the country. As already stated, the Jewish settlement in Indonesia began as early as the 17th century, and by the 20th century there was a substantial number of Jews in the country. The earlier population of Jews in the Dutch East Indies tried but failed to establish a united front since there were many types or origins of Jews. However, in the 20th century, there a number of successful attempts to create Zionist movements in the country, which also included the establishment of popular Zionist papers and news outlets. From the previous history of Jews in Indonesia, it should be noted that life was fairly well for them until the arrival of the Japanese during the Second World War. After the surrender of the Japanese, most of the Jews left to look for their families or go back to the newly created State of Israel. By then, there were less than 1000 Jews still staying in Indonesia, most of them congregated in Surabaya and some of them scattered over the island. Under Suharto’s rule in the country, the perceived relation of the Jews with the Dutch led to their discrimination, a fact that led them to emigrate in droves leaving the very small population currently in Indonesia. The discrimination of Jews in the country was mainly economic and socially, since some of them still associated with the Dutch, even though most of the fear of their association was perceived. The current population of Jews is served by one synagogue in Surabaya. From the surface, it is stated that there is no discrimination against Jews in Indonesia by the current government after the deposition of Suharto. From (Burhanuddin, 2007), it can also be seen that the Indonesian Muslims try to find a connection between the Jews and the “Jewish World Conspiracy”; a conspiracy by Jews to control the world’s economy. In this regard, the Jews in Surabaya prefer to keep a low profile to escape discrimination. It should be noted though that this is a political issue, and the religious issue that results in anti-Semitism is little felt in Surabaya. The political angle in Indonesia is dominant over the religious angle when it comes to Anti-Semitism. According to (Wistrich, 2007), the diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia are practically non-existent because of the latter’s opposition to the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel. The religious issue, Judaism, does not bring in any conflict in the region. This view is also supported by other authors, who state that the anti-Semitism in the country cannot be alluded to the religious views expressed. For example, most of the residents in Surabaya, the place with the highest number of Jews, do not know that there are Jews in the city. This supports the view that the anti-Semitism in Indonesia is one of perceived or imaginary oppression by the Jews. Indonesia’s Relation with the Middle East and Israel A study of the relations of Indonesia and the Middle East also reveals an avenue for the development of Anti-Semitism. According to (Wistrich, 2007), Indonesia has had a long standing relationship with many Middle Eastern countries, mainly due to their religious similarity. With the arrival of Islam in the archipelago, there came an alteration of the social, cultural and religious structure. With the annual pilgrimage to Mecca undergone by the Indonesian Muslims, it can be seen that there was increased contact with the Muslim countries in the Middle East. This meant an increase in the religious and intellectual exchange between the two regions. For example, it can be seen that the two regions constantly exchanged students and teachers for higher education, a fact that gives avenue to most anti-Semitic beliefs. Most of the education centers faced by the Indonesian students were popular for publishing anti-Semitic literature, and since the students were highly intellectual, they transferred their beliefs to the locals leading to an increased in anti-Semitism against perceived Jews. With the end of the Second World War, the development of the Middle East saw increased relations between the two regions, and since the Middle East helped in the struggle against the Dutch rule, their ideas were closely followed (Wistrich, 2002. This means that the ideologies propagated by the Middle Eastern communities encouraged the Indonesians to develop an anti-Semitic attitude. An analysis of the above statements reveals that, since the Middle East was continually complacent to Indonesian issues and struggles, it is expected that their ideologies would be transferred to the Indonesian people. In contrast to the relationship between Indonesia and the Middle East, the relationship with Israel is completely different (Wistrich, 2007). Despite the fact that Israel supported Indonesia’s independence, Indonesia was one of the countries that vehemently opposed the formation of a Jewish State. One of the main reasons for this is that Indonesia is a complete oppose of any form of colonialism, and from ideology, they view Israel as a colonizer of the Palestinian state. In Indonesia’s constitution, the opposition to colonialism is explicitly stated, giving reason for its opposition of Israel. Additionally, Indonesia does not recognize Judaism as an official religion, which means that these two factors are the main ones that form opposition to Israel. Discussion The main fact that shapes Israel’s position with Indonesia is the religious factor, even though the country admires the technological progress of the Judaist state (Suciu, 2008). For example, the prowess of Israel in the Arab-Israel war impressed the Indonesian army, and led to talks that eventually led to exchange of technology and trade. However, efforts to foster a stronger relationship with Israel have been continually met with Muslim opposition, which means that the two countries remain violently opposed in terms of religion. The effect of Israel’s conflict in the Middle East, and the combined power of the Middle East and Israel continue shaping the policies between the two countries. This is mainly because of the perceived solidarity of all Muslim countries and regions in opposition to the Jewish state. It is universally accepted that the Muslim world is currently not as united as it once was, which means that the only uniting factor for most Muslim countries is anti-Semitism (Suciu, 2008). In relation to Palestine, different Muslim countries have different opinions, so the political ideologies of the different countries are varied. Since the countries are not diplomatically at par, they resort to anti-Semitism. Since colonial times, it should be noted that the different Muslim countries had different experiences, and the only common factor that started their unity is the Islamic religion and unity for Palestine. According to Hadler (2004), the anti-Semitism felt in Indonesia is actually aptly referred to as anti-Zionism. This means that the Muslim community is not exactly united against Judaism, but is united against the country as a whole. One factor that should be noted is that religious hatred or bashing is not catching on among many Muslim factions, so the anti-Semitism in Indonesia is instead fuelled by the perception of a Jewish Conspiracy to rule the world. Suciu (2008), states that religious expressions of Jews and Muslims do not resonate with the populace since they cannot relate their experiences with the issues. For example, demonization of the Israelis using the conflict in Palestine and the world economy does not relate to the everyday life of the Palestinians, so they chose to go for the political aspect of the Israeli people. This gives rise to an anti-Semitism based on the perceived nature of the Jews and the way they take over their economy. One of the pervading factors of the anti-Semitic factions in mainstream Indonesia is the current socio-economic status (Suciu, 2008). With the current socio-economic status of most Indonesians, it is more attractive to target the Jews as a cause for their problems and the fact that they take more than a fair share of the economy. In this case, the popular Jewish Conspiracy has more effect than the religious angle in anti-Semitic influences. Hadler (2004) states that the ‘imagined Jew’ is a more attractive topic for bashing than the religious issues that the Indonesians might have with the Jews. This justifies the previous fact that most Indonesians do not even know of the existence of a Jewish population in Surabaya, instead, they are focused on blaming their socio-economic problems on the perceived Jew. Many publications in mainstream Indonesia are focused on demonizing the Jews due to their incredible intelligence and a notion that they have a negative influence on the country. One other opinion about the anti-Semitism in Indonesia is due to the Palestine-Israel conflict in the Middle East, where the popular opinion in Indonesia is that Israel is wrong in the conflict. Due to the differences in religion, and the popular need to defend umma, popular opinion in the Muslim community is that Israel’s participation in the conflict is an attack on Islam (Suciu, 2008). However, in Indonesia, an antipathy toward foreign substance is one of the factors that dominate the religious debate. One paradox of this sort is seen in that staunch Muslim factions in the Indonesian population will propagate anti-Semitism due to the conflict, but others are usually not aligned to the Palestinian faction. This bias is also seen in the political factions of the country, who will support the anti-Semitism but continually trade for technology with Israel. One of the main factors that make anti-Semitism popular in Indonesia is the current socio-economic status and the political situation facing the country (Suciu, 2008). One image that is prevalent in the Indonesian mind is that one of the perceived Jew; one who is rich and controls many aspects of their economy. In this regard, many Indonesians, including the educated class perceive an enemy as one who takes all the economic benefit from the country. Despite the fact that most Indonesians do not know of the Jewish populace in the country, they are united in thinking that the Jews are a source of their socio-economic troubles. Despite the fact that the highest number of Indonesians with this view come from staunch and conservative Muslims, most Indonesians have come to be of the same opinion due to the low level of economic development, despite the abundance of resources in the archipelago. One theory that can be used to explain this phenomenon is one of Occidentalism, which means the tendency of everything wrong in a country to be blamed on foreign, mostly Western, influence. In this case, most Indonesians will blame the Israel or Jewish faction as the source of all their economic troubles. One other factor for explaining the anti-Semitism in Indonesia is the propaganda in Middle Eastern literature (Suciu, 2008). According to popular opinion in Indonesia, the literature originating from the Middle East is absolute truth since it is usually transcribed in Arabic, the holy language of Islam. Coupled with the relationship between the country and the countries in the Middle East, the propaganda concerning Israel is most likely believed in Indonesia, giving fuel to anti-Semitism. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that anti-Semitism in Indonesia is based on a few factors that affect the country. One of the main factors is the relationship between the country and the Middle East, which occurs because of the common religion. The other main factor is the perception that Israel, and Jews are a cause of the socio-economic injustices faced by the country. The two main originators of Anti-Semitism in the country are the encroachment of the Jews and the propaganda given by the Japanese during the Second World War. The analysis reveals that there is a very small number of Jews in Indonesia, but because of the perceived influence that they have on the country, the anti-Semitism is to be expected. This paper has revealed that anti-Semitism in Indonesia actually exists, albeit not directed at the religious factor but more of the political or socio-economic status of the Indonesians, which has been explained as a factor of the relationship with the Middle East. References Burhanuddin. (2007). The Conspiracy of Jews: The Quest for Anti-Semitism in Media Dakwah. Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, Vol. 5(2). Pp. 53-76. Hadler, J. (2004). Translations of anti-Semitism: Jews, the Chinese, and violence in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia. Indonesia and the Malay World, Vol. 32 (94). Pp. 291-313. Suciu, M. E. (2008). Signs of Anti-Semitism in Indonesia. Australia: The University of Sydney. Wistrich, R. S. (2002). Muslim Anti-Semitism: A Clear and Present Danger. The American Jewish Committee. Wistrich, R. S. (2007). The Anti-Semitic Ideology. Rising Tide, Vol. 307(9). Pp. 70. Read More