Pursuing Knowledge to the Country of Sheikh Surkati

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People attend Eid al-Firtr prayer in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, April 21, 2023. Eid al-Fitr holiday, that marks the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, is marked by faithful as gunshots rang out across the capital of Khartoum and heavy smoke billowed over the skyline.

Essentially, Sudan and Indonesia had ties long before the two countries became independent. The arrival in October 1911 of Sheikh Ahmad Surkati and Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Hamid, two clerics from Sudan, was the beginning of Indonesia-Sudan relations. Sheikh Surkati and Sheikh Muhammad were invited by Jamiatul Khair to teach in Batavia, the Dutch colonial government’s name for what is now Jakarta.

Sheikh Surkati later became one of the founders of Al Irsyad, which was inaugurated by the Dutch East Indies government in 1915. Surkati was known as a reformer of Islamic education in the Dutch East Indies.

He also opened a door to Sudan for the founding president of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno. A number of Indonesian independence fighters also studied under Sheikh Surkati. H. Agus Salim and HOS Tjokroaminoto were also close friends of Sheikh Surkati.

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The Sudanese scholar eventually died in 1943 and was buried in Batavia. "The deceased participated in accelerating the birth of the Indonesian independence movement," Bung Karno said on Sheikh Sukarti’s death.

Sheikh Surkati’s passing did not mean the end to Indonesia-Sudan relations through education. Ten years after Sheikh Surkati started teaching in Batavia, thousands of Indonesian students went to study in Sudan.

In fact, Indonesia also maintains close political and economic relations with Sudan, not only through education.

AFP/ ASHRAF SHAZLY

Dozens of Sudanese men wait for the time to break their Ramadan fast at a mosque in the twin city of Omdurman, capital of Sudan, Monday (4/4/2022).

Lecturer

In March 2023, Sunarko, the Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan, received two Sudanese lecturers who had completed their teaching assignments in Indonesia. Before them, many Sudanese lecturers had been sent to teach at a number of universities in Indonesia.

In fact, then-vice president Hamzah Haz initiated the establishment of the Sudanese-Indonesian Islamic University (UIIS). Hamzah proposed the idea to president Bashir, who approved it. Unfortunately, Indonesian laws did not allow two countries to jointly establish a higher education institution. Today, UIIS is known as the State Islamic University (UIN) Malang. Sudanese academics regularly teach at UIN Malang as well as at a number of other tertiary institutions in Indonesia.

Apart from sending lecturers, Sudan also welcomes students from Indonesia. As Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi recently stated when announcing the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from Sudan, many Indonesian students study in Sudan. Every year over several decades, thousands of Indonesian students travel to Sudan to study.

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A number of Indonesian schools and tertiary institutions periodically announce scholarships to study in Sudan. Apart from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Sudan is among the destinations for Indonesian students who want to study Arabic and the Quran. After graduating, some alumni of Sudanese institutions have become teachers at Indonesian schools and universities, while others have become well-known Islamic scholars in Indonesia.

Sudan has a unique way of reciting the Quran in a style called Al-Duuri. Some Indonesian Muslims like to watch videos of Sheikh Nourin Siddiq, a Sudanese scholar who often recites verses from the Quran in that style.

In Sudan, the Quran is widely taught in educational institutions known as khalwat. Therefore, as is typical among Arab-speaking countries, Sudan is known as a center of Quran memorization. Apart from studying at a number of campuses, some Indonesian students also repeat their studies at khalwat.

Some Indonesian students also study Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh, in Sudan. This is because Sudan has implemented Islamic law as national law for decades. Another factor that brings Indonesian and Sudanese Muslims closer is the Sufi tradition. There are many Sufi schools in Sudan. As in Sudan, the Sufi tradition also took root and spread in Indonesia. Sudan and Indonesia remain close, even though Khartoum is majority Hanafi, while Indonesian Muslims predominantly follow Syafii teachings.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR/KOMPAS/KRIS MADA

Screenshot of the video sent by the Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. Indonesia started the process of evacuating its citizens from Sudan starting Sunday (23/4/2023).

Political

Politically, Indonesia also has long ties with Sudan. Indonesia invited Sudan to the Asian-African Conference (KAA) in Bandung in April 1955. Seven and a half months after the conference, Sudan finally became independent on 1 Jan. 1956. However, prime minister Ismail Al Azhari, who later became the first president of Sudan, was invited to attend the Bandung Conference. The KAA organizing committee even made a flag for Sudan, which had not sent its official flag prior to the conference. The KAA committee’s flag for Sudan was just a white flag bearing the name "Sudan".

Even though Sudan was a colony of Egypt at the time, Indonesia, as the host of the KAA, provided Sudan its own seat, separate from Egypt. This was a form of showing Indonesia's support for Sudanese independence. Jakarta supported Khartoum’s aspirations, even though Indonesia-Egypt relations were very good.

It took four years after Sudan became independent until Jakarta appointed a chargé d'affaires to head the Indonesian diplomatic mission in Khartoum. Unfortunately, the office was closed in 1967 due to economic reasons. The Indonesian mission reopened in 1995, this time headed by an ambassador. Meanwhile, Sudan has appointed an ambassador to Indonesia almost uninterruptedly since 1973.

Politically, Indonesia also has long ties with Sudan. Indonesia invited Sudan to the Asian-African Conference (KAA) in Bandung in April 1955.

Indonesia and Sudan also have close economic ties. Over the years, Indonesia has earned a surplus of millions of US dollars from trading and investing in Sudan. Retno stated that some of the Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Sudan on Sunday (22/4/2023) were employees of an instant noodle factory. One of the six Indonesian instant noodle factories in Africa is located in Sudan.

The factory, which has been producing noodles since 2011, is just one manifestation of Indonesia-Sudan economic ties. When Sudan was ruled by Omar Bashir, Indonesia imported a lot of oil from Sudan, its value reaching US$194 million in 2018. In contrast, Indonesia exports a lot of palm oil to Sudan.

The stability of Sudan is therefore very important for Indonesia. (AFP)

This article was translated by Kurnia Siswo.