REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Chinese people also play a role in the spread of Islam in south east Asia. The Chinese who came to Indonesia mostly worked as traders. Then, they chose to stay in Indonesia.
When trading indigenous people, they also talked about Islam. After that, they invited the indigenous people to embrace Islam.
In the book titled “Indonesian Islam and China: The Struggle of Santri Indonesia and China”, Fatquri Hua revealed that the most important incident in the spread of Chinese Islam in Indonesia was carried out by Admiral Cheng Ho.
When he came to Indonesia, Cheng Ho and his men were warmly welcomed by the Indonesian people. The expedition team led by Cheng Ho came to Indonesia using 208 ships. His men on board were Muslim.
During the mission to spread Islam, according to Fatquri, Cheng Ho met people who had embraced Islam. As an ambassador of the Kingdom of Tingkok, he also met King Majapahit. After getting permission from King Majapahit, Cheng Ho then started spreading the teachings of the Prophet and Islam very quickly spread in Indonesia.
“The meeting with King Majapahit brought great impact in the spread of Islam,” Fatquri wrote.
According to him, Liao Da Ke has given a very clear testimony about the role of ethnic Chinese in spreading Islam in Indonesia. The names of Islamic propagators are particularly well known as Wali Songo, of which four of them are of Chinese descent.
Based on Wiwit Prasetyo in his re-review of Cheng Ho's history, it is said that Cheng Ho's achievements are brilliant and are praised by anyone who studies his story. He came to Indonesia on a mission of peace without war, violence and power struggle.
Cheng Ho has also always presented the values of humanity, which are always taught in Islam as a religious foundation in life. Cheng Ho's role attests to the strengthening of the spread of Islam in Indonesia by earlier propagators of several ethnicities, such as Arabs, Indians, and Persians.
After the success of spreading Islam, according to Fatquri, only the first Islamic kingdom emerged in Demak. The first king appointed was also an ethnic Chinese named Raden Patah. His Chinese name is Jin Bun.
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