Mosque in Jakarta a Haven for Ethnic Chinese Indonesians Embracing Islam

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Surrounded by ordinary gray shop houses on Jakarta’s bustling Lautze Street, the building with the yellow façade stands out. Red overhangs echo the rooflines of traditional Chinese temples, and red arched wooden doors suggest a welcome within. At a glance, the building could be mistaken for a Chinese temple. Built in 1991 by Haji Junus Jahya, an Indonesian businessman of Chinese descent, the Lautze Mosque embodies his interest in encouraging assimilation between the ethnic Chinese people and Indigenous Malay community known as Pribumi. “Haji” indicates that he made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam. Ustaz Naga Qiu, which means the dragon Islamic teacher, said the mosque occupies what was once an ordinary shop occupied by the foundation founded by Haji Karim Oei, a prominent ethnic Chinese Indonesian nationalist. Because Junus initially wanted the Chinese to blend in with other Indonesians, the mosque blended in with its surroundings. But in 2000, “after President Abdurrahman Wahid brought equality for Chinese Indonesians, the mosque’s look started to change,” Naga said. This also reflected how Junus’ attitude about blending in changed before his death in 2011. An uneasy relationship The centuries-long relationship between Indonesians and their Chinese neighbors is one marked by violence. Under Dutch colonial rule in the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Trading Company hired thousands of Chinese and Malay low-wage laborers to work on plantations and mines. The company often stoked division between the groups to keep them from acting together against the corporation and forced the Chinese to live in separate areas. Attacks on property owned by Chinese traders and mass killings of ethnic Chinese started in 1740, when some 10,000 died on Java. When Indonesia achieved independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945, many ethnic Chinese were unable to obtain citizenship and were perceived as being more loyal to China. Hundreds were killed during an anti-Communist purge in 1965 that led to the authoritarian rule of President Suharto. Suharto forced Chinese residents to assume more Indonesian-style names and carry ID papers, and he banned Chinese characters and holiday celebrations. During the financial crisis of 1997-1998 that eventually forced Suharto’s resignation, Chinese Indonesians were targeted again during Jakarta riots for their perceived wealth. And while the Lunar New Year is now a national holiday, and Confucianism is one of the six official faiths of the Muslim-majority nation, anti-Chinese sentiment lingers. “The anti-Chinese narrative is still very much alive and well under the surface and can be used for the purpose of political mobilization whenever the political circumstances are prime for it,” Charlotte Setijadi, an assistant professor of humanities at Singapore Management University who has researched Chinese-Indonesian identity politics, told Al Jazeera in 2023.   Which makes the standout building on Lautze Street even more remarkable, especially during holidays such as Ramadan, when more people visit. This year in Indonesia, Ramadan began the evening of March 11 and will end at sunset on April 9. Since its establishment, the Lautze Mosque has served as a center for non-Muslim Chinese Indonesians who want to learn more about Islam from fellow ethnic Chinese. The mosque holds weekly meetings where new Muslims can learn how to carry out the ablution and prayers and study the Quran. Haji Muhammad Ali Karim Oei, the son of Karim Oei and now chairman of the foundation that manages the Lautze Mosque, said the organization has built mosques in Bandung and elsewhere, as well as the one in Jakarta, and helped convert more than 1,800 ethnic Chinese to Islam. “All our mosques are located near Chinese communities or Chinatown,” he said. “As the saying goes, ‘One can only catch the tiger cub by entering the tiger’s den.’” The mosque in Bandung, a city in West Java, was built in 1997. It also features Chinese-style architecture. Earlier this week, the acting governor of West Java, Bey Machmudin, performed Tarawih prayers at Lautze Mosque 2. Naga said most of the non-Muslims who come to the Lautze Mosque in Jakarta are corporate workers who plan to marry Muslim women. The Islamic preacher said that many non-Muslim Chinese are curious about how they can maintain Chinese cultural practices if they convert. “We share practical tips on how to prevent friction from occurring among family members due to different religious beliefs,” said Naga. Eko Tan, 67, a Muslim convert who lives in Jakarta and frequently prays at the Lautze Mosque, said he grew up as an atheist. Islam attracted him to what he said is its logical approach to faith. During an interview with VOA Indonesian, Eko, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, told VOA Indonesian the Lautze Mosque is affiliated with the Muhammadiyah Islamic organization, “whose teachings appeal to my logic. For me, the Quran is like a book on applied psychology.” Muhammadiyah, founded in 1912, is the second-largest Islamic organization in Indonesia. Eko, a parking attendant, said most mosques in Jakarta do not offer mentoring or training for Muslim converts. He added he found comfort being part of a community of Chinese Muslims at Lautze Mosque. During the month of Ramadan, new converts can attend a brief sermon before breaking their fast at the mosque and are encouraged to take turns leading the congregation in Tarawih prayers each evening. “This is meant to train the men to have more confidence in leading congregational prayers with their families,” Naga said.