Walesi village is a center for the development and preaching of Islam for the surrounding areas and Papuan Tribes in the Central Mountains, Papua. Islam then spread to 12 other nearby villages, Hitigima, Air Garam, Okilik, Apenas, Jagara, Ibele, Araboda, Megapura, Pasema, Mapenduma, Kurulu, and Pugima.
Papuan Tribes that has 80% of the Muslim Population
Apart from Aipon, there are also names of other tribal chiefs who decided to become Muslims. Like the Chief of the Yapen-Waropen Manokwari Tribe, Ismail Yenu.
In Manokwari, there are several Islamic villages, Bintuni, Babo, and Teluk Arguni. Islamic villages exist in several other places, such as Kokas, Kaimana, Patipi, Rumbati, and the Onin Peninsula.
The Muslim community is also growing in Sorong Regency, such as Waigeo, Misool, Doom, Salawati, Raja Ampat, and Teminabuan.
Islam and Papuan Tribes According to Umar
Recently, the head of the Asmat tribe, Sinansius Kayimter, has also taken the shahada and officially became a Muslim. After embracing Islam, the tribal chief changed his name to Umar Abdullah Kayimter.
Umar said his decision to convert to Islam came purely from him. This desire has existed for a long time. Still, it has been getting stronger since his son Muhammad Hatta embraced Islam a few years ago.
Umar felt Islam gave a real change to him, his family, and the people he led. He was also ready to spread the message of Islam to his brothers in the Asmat Tribe.
Umar believes that if the Asmat people know Islam, then change will come. This change will certainly bring the Papuan Tribes a better life. “And God willing, I will continue to make the Asmat Tribe a part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
After converting to Islam, Umar decided to learn Islam more deeply. Recently, he performed Umrah. Around 20 youths from the Asmat tribe are now studying the Koran in Demak and Yogyakarta.
After graduating, they will return to Papua to continue the da’wah that has been carried out so far. Umar’s decision also inspired about 20 other Papuan Tribes’ chiefs. They conveyed this desire after watching the news of the tribal chief’s conversion to Islam on TVRI.
Muslim and Christianity in Tanah Papua
Anthropologist Dr. JR Mansoben who took his doctorate from Leiden University, the Netherlands, said that major religions such as Islam and Christianity entered Papua in different periods. The first major religion that entered Papua was Islam in the areas of Raja Ampat and Fakfak, West Papua. Islam originated from the Maluku islands and was spread through trade relations between the two areas.
According to the Dutch researcher and anthropologist Van der Leeden (1980-22), Islam entered the Raja Ampat area when the Tidore Sultanate influenced the area in the 13th century.
Islam did not spread significantly and widely, only embraced by ruling groups among kings. The spread of Islam has only occurred for the Dani people in the Walesi area, Baliem Valley, since the 1990s.
Another major religion that came from outside was Christianity in the mid-19th century, about six centuries after the entry of Islam in Raja Ampat and Fakfak. On February 5, 1855, on Mansinam Island, Ottow and Geissler from Germany came to Papua. Geisler spent 14 years in Mansinam, Manokwari Regency, West Papua, from 1855 to 1870.
Then, Utrechtshe Zendings Vereninging (UZV) arrived in Mansinam in 1862. Then the Bethel Pentecostal sect in Sorong (1950), the 1930 Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) in Enarotali Paniai, Ajamaru 1952, and the Maluku Protestant Church in Fakfak.
Wrapping Up
In Papua, Walesi village serves as a hub for the advancement and proclamation of Islam. Then, 12 other nearby villages—Hitigima, Air Garam, Okilik, Apenas, Jagara, Araboda, Megapura, Pasema, Mapenduma, Kurulu, and Pugima—also adopted Islam.
According to anthropologist Dr. JR Mansoben, who received his Ph.D. from Leiden University in the Netherlands, major faiths reached Papua at various times. Islam was the first significant religion for Papuan Tribes, specifically Raja Ampat and Fakfak.
