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Chinese Muslims’ life in Indonesia: family fights, head shaving and rejection by their own community
- Ethnic Chinese people in Indonesia who convert to Islam often feel they have to hide their religion from their families because of ill-informed perceptions
- Despite frequent fights with their families, many Chinese Muslims dream of a ‘more tolerant Indonesia’
Reading Time:5 minutes
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One afternoon in May 1998, Eddy Tjondronimpuno Tambuang was at work when he heard that riots were erupting across Jakarta.
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According to news reports, the situation was out of control. Shops were being broken into and looted, cars were being set on fire and ethnic Chinese residents, also known as Tionghoa in Indonesia, were being targeted by rioters who roamed the streets looking for victims.
Triggered by the financial crisis that hit Asia in the late 1990s, the riots tapped into a deep well of bigotry. Anti-Chinese sentiment, fuelled by the envy of successful Chinese entrepreneurs and shopkeepers, exploded across a number of large cities in Indonesia, particularly in the capital.
Although he was panicking, Tambuang says he wanted to leave the shelter of the factory in greater Jakarta’s Tangerang district when he finished work to get back home. As he stepped outside, he saw the big supermarket across the street was on fire.
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“I saw people pushing supermarket trolleys filled with stuff that looked like it was taken from the shop,” the 55-year-old recalls. “It was dreadful.”
He tried to hail a motorcycle taxi but none of the riders would pick him up. “They said, ‘You’re Chinese.’ They were scared of being targeted by rioters.”
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