Slug:/islamic-kingdoms-west-papua
Islam Is Spread Throughout Indonesia, Including West Papua, Which Has The Traces Of Islamic Kingdoms That Include Kaimana, Waigeo, Misool, And Salawati.
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Indonesia holds the record for the largest Muslim population in the world. As the most populated island, Java is indeed the place where the majority of Muslims in Indonesia live. But, it does not mean that Islam is only known to the Javanese. The religion is spread throughout the country, including West Papua.
In 2020, the region with an area of 99,671 kilometers square has a population of around 1,149,540 people. And 38,06% of them are Muslims.
According to the story of Bacan, Islam was first introduced to the region in 1512. There was a brother of the Sultan of Bacan appointed as the ruler of Misool island. He was the first Muslim ruler of the region. During his reign, he continued to expand the influence of Islam to the neighboring islands.
There used to be many Islamic kingdoms in West Papua. Here, we will learn a few of them.
Kaimana
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The kingdom of Kaimana was established by Imaga in 1309. He ruled the region bearing the title Rat Sran Nati Pattimunin I. “Rat” means king, “Sran” was the name of a region in which he spread his influence, and “Pattimunin” was the name of the regions he came from.
After the death of Imaga, the throne was taken by his son and then his grandson, Woran. After the death of Woran, the throne was taken by three other kings who were not as powerful as their ancestors. Then, the region fell under the influence of Tidore Sultanate, and the royal families converted to Islam.
Today, we can no longer see the royal palace of Sran and its fort. But Agung Baitul Rahim Mosque stands strong, as well as the royal burial complex on the north of the mosque.
Waigeo
In the 15th century, the coastal area of Papua starting from Biak, West Papua, up to Mimika, Central Papua, was under the influence of Tidore Sultanate. But, Raja Ampat was part of Bacan and Tidore Sultanates. Tidore Sultanate then appointed four local kings to rule Waigeo, Misool, Salawati, and Waigama. This was the origin of the name Raja Ampat which means four kings.
Trading was the main occupation of people in Waigeo due to its wealthy natural resources in the form of spices and minerals. Meanwhile, Waigeo people who lived in the coastal area were mostly fishermen.
The kingdom left some legacies in the form of mosques. Those are Tunasgain mosque in East Fakfak, Tubirseram most in Fakfak Regency, and Patimburak mosque in Patimburak village.
Misool
Misool kingdom was one of the Islamic kingdoms in Raja Ampat, West Papua. The central government is located in Lilinta, Misool island. The kingdom was under the influence of Tidore and Ternate Sultanate.
As the first ruler, Fun Bis had two descendants who were divided into two clans: Umkabu and Soltip. Umkabu held the throne and appointed Fun Madero as king, while Soltip bore the title Admiral and was situated in Fafanlap.
After years of reign, the capital city of Misool was moved to Sel Peleket. The first king of Sel Peleket was Abdul Majid, and was continued by Usman between 1904 and 1945.
Salawati
Salawati kingdom is probably one of the few surviving Islamic kingdoms in West Papua. Prince Hery Arfan was appointed as the head of the Salawati Kingdom dynasty in 2019 up to date.
There is not much information about the kingdom. But Muhammad Aminuddin Arfan was considered to hold the most critical role on the throne. Despite not being the first king, Arfan was the biological younger brother of the King of Salawati.
A famous story of the king’s brother was that he was captured not long after accompanying two missionaries to introduce Christianity to the local tribe that believed in animism. He was then deported to Maros due to his anti-Dutch inclination. He was there until his death.
There were several other Islamic kingdoms in West Papua. Those are just a few about which we can gather information.
