Abstract
Al-Irshād is an organization formed by the Arabs in present-day Indonesia in 1914, which advocates Islamic reform. This article examines its educational activities in the Dutch colonial period, elucidating the thoughts of its founder and leader, Aḥmad Sūrkatī, and the process of the integration of Arabs into the host society. Sūrkatī’s thought is distinguished from other Arab reformists for its emphasis on “egalitarianism” and its lack of a tendency towards Arab nationalism. From early on, he attempted to adapt the al-Irshād schools to the colonial education system in order to attract indigenous (pribumi) students, as well. In the late 1920s, he began to be locally oriented, with a focus territorially limited to Indonesia. The educational activities of al-Irshād in the 1930s also indicated the weakning of Ḥaḍramī/Arab-orientation. By the late 1930s, the opinion of al-Irshād was decisively inclined toward integration within the host society.DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v23i3.3268
Highlights
Al-Irshād (spelled Al-Irsyad in present-day Indonesian) is the most prominent organization formed by Arabs in Indonesia
Al-Irshād is the most prominent organization formed by Arabs in Indonesia
According to Anderson, the Dutch colonial education system brought into being a common experience among pribumis from all over the Dutch East Indies. is common experience facilitated a sense of belongingness to the territory, helping to create an Indonesian identity
Summary
Al-Irshād (spelled Al-Irsyad in present-day Indonesian) is the most prominent organization formed by Arabs in Indonesia. In the late 1920s, when a certain Ḥaḍramī called in at the alIrshād school of Batavia, he asked Sūrkatī about the number of students and the proportion of the Arabs to pribumis (al-Jāwīyūn).
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