Arab Indonesians
Orang Arab Indonesia عرب إندونيسيا | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Maluku Islands | |
| Languages | |
| Indonesian, Arabic (especially Indonesian Arabic), Various Indonesian regional languages | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Indonesian Jews, Hadharem, Arab Malaysians, Arab Singaporeans, Arab diaspora |
Arab Indonesians (Arabic: عربٌ إندونيسيون), or colloquially known as Jama'ah, are Indonesian citizens of mixed Arab, mainly Hadharem from Yemen, and Indonesian descent. The ethnic group generally also includes those of Arab descent from other Middle Eastern Arabic speaking nations. Restricted under Dutch East Indies law until 1919, the community elites later gained economic power through real estate investment and trading. Currently found mainly in Java, especially West Java and East Java, they are almost all Muslims.
The official number of Arab and part-Arab descent in Indonesia was recorded since 19th century. The census of 1870 recorded a total of 12,412 Arab Indonesians (7,495 living in Java and Madura and the rest in other islands). By 1900, the total number of Arabs citizens increased to 27,399, then 44,902 by 1920, and 71,335 by 1930.