Indonesia and the Malay World, 2021

This study presents a distinctive type of Muslim gravestone found on the northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, that dates to the 15th century. These grave markers, locally known as plang-pleng, provide evidence for the formation and disappearance of an early form of vernacular Muslim material culture in Southeast Asia. We documented over 200 of these gravestones during a large-scale archaeological landscape survey. In this article, we present a typology of these gravestones based upon shape, morphology and ornamentation. We then discuss their geographical distribution and periodisation based on examples with dated Arabic inscriptions. Our results show that these gravestones were initially a cultural product of the historic trading settlement of Lamri dating from the early 15th century. By the middle of the 15th century, variations of these stones started to appear widely near the Aceh river. The plang-pleng tradition was displaced in the early 16th century by the batu Aceh gravestones associated with the Aceh sultanate, which became a standardised part of Muslim material culture in the region for the next two centuries.

Indonesian Journal of Islamic Literature and Muslim Societies, 2023

The following research aims to discuss the development of Islamic maritime civilization on the East Coast of Sumatra during the 17 th to 18 th Centuries AD. What sultanates represented Islamic maritime civilization on the East Coast of Sumatra and what were their contributions to the development of Islamic maritime civilization on the East Coast of Sumatra are the two questions raised in this research. To answer these two questions, this research uses the historical research method with research steps that include heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The search for sources was carried out through literature research. From the research conducted, it was concluded that the Islamic maritime civilization on the East Coast of Sumatra was represented by sultanates such as Aceh, Siak, Deli, Serdang, Langkat, and Asahan. These sultanates contributed greatly to developing Islamic maritime civilization by making maritime-oriented policies and providing protection to fishermen, sailors, and traders which encouraged the operation of more ports so that maritime activities became increasingly crowded with maritime trade activities, shipbuilding, and voyages. The bustling maritime activities

Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 174 (2018): 8-11, 2018

Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Science 2019 (ICSS 2019), 2019

This article discusses the process of islamization in Bumi Sawerigading or better known as the Kingdom of Luwu. Luwu Kingdom was the kingdom that first accepted Islam in South Sulawesi. The existence of this kingdom is interesting to write because it does not escape the role of the king or datu in expediting the process of islamization. On the other hand before King Luwu accepted Islam as a royal religion, his people adhered to a belief that was animistic and dynamistic. A belief that worships on trees that are considered to have spirits and sacred objects. In addition, the process of islamization in the Kingdom of Luwu was marked by a fairly lengthy dialogue process between the king and an Islamic propagator named Datuk Sulaiman. Not only until the dialogue, but continued on a power struggle which in the end King Luwu acknowledged the greatness of Datuk Sulaiman and finally converted to Islam. This paper technically uses historical methods from the heuristic stage (data collection), criticism (data verification), interpretation (data interpretation), and historiography (writing into a complete story).

Indonesia and the Malay World, 2019

The coming of Islam in eastern Indonesia is generally assigned to the activities of Muslim traders from the late 15th century onwards. This assumption is an over-simplification, especially in areas outside the main trade centres. In the Aru islands, Islam was introduced by the mid 17th century. We argue that Islamisation in Aru was initially a matter of internal considerations, rather than trade. We present oral traditions about the expansion of Islam as seen from two locations: Ujir, the historical Muslim centre in Aru on the west coast, and Benjuring, a former stronghold of local ancestral beliefs in the east. The oral sources are juxtaposed with European accounts of the 17th century when Muslim and Protestant centres first developed in Aru. The coming of Islam forced people to either convert or leave for non-Muslim areas. By late colonial times (early 20th century), both Islam and the Protestant church had reached remote villages. The most recent wave of conversions in Aru to state-approved world religions took place in the 1970s. In the last 30 years, the population in Aru has grown, especially in the regency capital Dobo. While Muslims used to be a small minority in Aru with their main centre on Ujir island, the point of gravity has shifted to Dobo, a fast-growing town with a large influx of mostly Muslims from other parts of Indonesia. Islamisation is still ongoing in Aru and the character of Islam is changing.

A lecture presented during the video conference organized by Mutiara International Grammar School, Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia & Choate Rosemary Hall, United States

This paper/chapter is an introduction to the edited volume, edited by Petrů, Tomáš: Graffiti, Converts and Vigilantes: Islam outside the Mainstream in Maritime Southeast Asia , published by Caesarpress, Vienna in 2015. It is basically a historical overview of the Islamization process of the Malay-Indonesia world, specifically focusing on the interaction of Islam with the previous cultural and religious tradition, looking at the oscillation between rigor and acculturation.

Muslims believe that their religion is universal, suitable to all places and time. Consequently, in practice, Islam can be adapted to various situations and conditions. Therefore, the diversity in Islam is inevitable. Diversity is especially related to aspects of interpretation and religious branches, not things that are principle. This article is about the relationship between Islam and local culture. As recognized by many experts, Islam in Indonesia was spread by peaceful means. Local elements were used in the process of Islamization. As a result, Islam could be accepted by most of society of Indonesia. Islam expressed here shows a distinctive face. Islam can live hand in hand with local culture, especially the culture that is not incompatible with Islam.