IJAPS, Vol. 13, No. 2, 45–72, 2017 ARABS AND "INDO-ARABS" IN INDONESIA: HISTORICAL DYNAMICS, SOCIAL RELATIONS AND CONTEMPORARY CHANGES Sumanto Al Qurtuby* Department of General Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, KFUPM Box 201 Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia email:
[email protected] Published online: 15 July 2017 To cite this article: Al Qurtuby, S. 2017. Arabs and "Indo-Arabs" in Indonesia: Historical dynamics, social relations and contemporary changes. International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies 13 (2): 45–72, https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2017.13.2.3 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2017.13.2.3 ABSTRACT This article outlines the origins, development and historical dynamics of Arabs in Indonesia and discusses responses of Indonesians, particularly Muslims, towards this group. It sketches a variety of Indonesia's Arabs—sadah and non-sadah alike— and their contributions to the shape of Indonesian Islam, Islamic cultures and Muslim politics. It also traces the roots of—and depicts the historical dynamics and changes—social relations and interactions between Arabs and local populations. The relations between Arabs and non-Arabs in the country have always been marked with conflict and tensions on the one hand, and peace and cooperation on the other. Some Muslims in the country "have admired" and built a strong relationship with the Arabs and "Indo-Arabs" while others have denounced them as the destroyers of Indonesia's local traditions, civic pluralism, social stability and interreligious tolerance. This article tries to portray this paradox, discuss factors contributing to the damaging image of Arabs in contemporary Indonesia, and explain the rationales behind it.