It is undoubtedly exotic in its looks, but to the naive passerby the only thing that may seem truly extraordinary about this building in Palembang, South Sumatra, is its colorful architecture. The structure, which resembles a temple, is painted in deep red and pink and topped off with a jade green dome. Two towers in the shape of a five-tiered pagoda flank the sides, complete with Chinese-style touches on their polygonal roofs. On closer inspection, however, a crescent moon and a star are perched on top of its dome. This is not a Chinese temple, but is actually the Muhammad Cheng Ho Mosque.
A synthesis of Chinese culture and Islam, the mosque would not have been possible under Suharto’s New Order era. Under Suharto, the expression of the Chinese culture in any form was considered a threat to national identity and was repressed.
With the change of regime in 1998, a number of discriminatory laws against ethnic Chinese were abolished, and since then Indonesia has seen a gradual and steady revival of Chinese culture. For many, it was a process of self-discovery and healing as they were able to once again openly embrace their ethnicity.
Attempts have also been made to revive Chinese identities. The development of the similarly-named Muhammad Cheng Hoo Mosque in Surabaya in 2002 is one of the best examples of this. The mosque is near the city center, and its design has very strong Chinese influences, in stark contrast to its Javanese surroundings. Palembang’s Cheng Ho Mosque, built in 2006, was inspired by this.
The mosque is named after Cheng Ho, also known as Zheng He, a Chinese admiral who is said to have helped spread Islam in Indonesia in the 15th century. According to a local historian, Cheng Ho visited Palembang four times between 1405 and 1433 to destroy a crew of pirates under Chen Tsu Ji.
When I arrived in the city, I asked the driver about the Cheng Ho Mosque. He said he wasn’t sure and was even surprised that there was a mosque with a Chinese name. I told him that the mosque was in the Jakabaring area not too far from the market.
A local graduate student of Sriwijaya University who accompanied me during my visit also said that she had never heard about the mosque. She said that while she frequents this area as her boss lives nearby, she had always thought that the twin minarets belonged to a actual Chinese temple. She was not alone, she thought: Many people have the same assumption.
The Cheng Ho Mosque is in Sebrang Ulu, neither in Palembang’s Chinatown nor its city center. Sebrang Ulu pales in comparison with Sebrang Ilir, its vibrant counterpart across the famous Musi River. The Ampera bridge, the icon of Palembang, connects these two areas. It is in Sebrang Ilir that one can find the more well-known, conventionally designed central mosque, which is seen even from Sebrang Ulu.
The Cheng Ho Mosque has a unique architectural design which combines elements of Palembang local culture with Chinese and Arabic nuances. Built on 5,000 square meters of land, the mosque is situated inside a middle-class housing complex. Some houses are still vacant, as the owners do not live there, while others are still being built. I heard that these houses belong to the Indonesian elite from Palembang.
The minarets at both sides of the mosque mimic Chinese pagodas, painted in red and jade green. Burgundy red represents the Chinese identity complemented by green for Islam. The main gate is painted in green while the side gates are red. Rooms for ritual ablutions are provided at the first level of the minarets. Toilet and shower rooms are adjacent to the minarets.
Though the construction is still ongoing, the two-story mosque has been open since August 2008. There is no physical barrier separating the men and women at the mosque, so the men pray on the first floor and the women pray on the second. A circular, open area in the middle brings the whole design together. The mosque will eventually have a small house for the imam — the person who leads the prayer — an office, a library and a multipurpose room.
When I arrived at the mosque, it was filled with dozens of junior high school students celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. They listened to the recitation of the Koran and had a religious lesson, and I enjoyed the Islamic choir accompanied by traditional music performed by the students.
The mosque is now more than just a place of worship. It serves other religious and social activities and is not limited to the Chinese-Muslim community. It has also become a tourist destination of sorts, attracting visitors from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and even Russia.
In short, the establishment of this mosque has provided Chinese Muslims with the opportunity to express their identity — a blend of Chinese and Muslim within a local context. This mosque is a space that allows an intermingling of various cultures and heritages.
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