Source: Penang Hidden Gems
๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ-๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ข ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐?
๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฆ, ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ ๐กโ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ "๐ด๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ข๐" ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฆ.
Last to be built and first to be demolished, the Koay Jetty is home to a Hui (pronounced “Hoy”) community (specifically the Koays). [1]
The Hui people is a Muslim ethnic group from China who were one of the first Chinese to migrate and settle throughout South-east Asia. They are descendants of Arab and Persian traders who settled in China’s seaports between the 7th and 10th centuries.
In Penang, the Koay Jetty was the only remaining settlement in Malaysia of the ethnic group that first migrated here more than 700 years ago [1].
In Penang, they worked as traders, port coolies and boatmen. They were also in the charcoal business. They rented four houses and lived together as a clan commune at Noordin Street.
In the 1950s, they established a jetty at the end of Weld Quay-C.Y.Choy Road. It was the last clan jetty to be built. [2]
Here, the Koay clan community in Penang had problems communicating with the other Muslims in Penang (perhaps largely due to language barrier). They could not understand many of the latter’s practices. For example, belief in the local kramats was something alien to them, and a mosque with an onion dome did not look or feel like a mosque to them.
Soon, the Koays realised that due to the shared language and culture with most Chinese immigrants from Fujian (the only difference was their religion), the Koays felt closer to the mainstream Chinese community and depended on the latter for support.
As a result, the whole group gradually reverted back to the 5th generation fatwa. [2]
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ?
The 5th generation descendants of Koay T’ng Hui (during the Ming dynasty, in 1376, Koay T’ng Hui was the leader of this Hui Muslim minority group with Arabian ancestors) found their village of Pek Kee (near the port of Quanzhou (pronounced “Chwen-Joe”) facing attacks by Han Chinese extremists. This is because a group of Hui Muslims had supported the Ming dynasty government to put down a rebellion in Fujian. In retaliation, the rebels attacked Hui villages all over Fujian. In order to safeguard their lives, the Koay clan villagers suppressed their Hui identity. As they had intermarried with Han women for generation, they allowed the Han women to rear pigs, so that the village would not be marked as a Hui village.
In this case of emergency, the amirs of the clan collectively made a fatwa: In life, one can eat pork. But in death, one must die as a Muslim and go back to the true religion. The deceased’s family and relatives must follow Muslim practice for at least 49 days, and even up to 3 years.
When a member of the Koay clan died, the imam would go the home of the deceased and place the Holy Qur’an on a new piece cloth laid over the table in front of the coffin. He would read the Qur’an from the first page to the last. He had to advise the deceased’s family not to eat pork for 49 days. [3]
๐ก๐ผ๐, ๐น๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ด.
With its culture facing drastic dilution, five Hui leaders in 1975 started a campaign to get every clansman to put up a notice at home that reminded them of their Muslim origins. The notice, which was to be framed and hung on the wall by every clansmen, provides the generational names to be followed by the Koay clan for forty generations.
The notice stated that since early times, the Koays have been Muslims. They have been steadfast in their prayer, and have not changed for generations. … After China became a Republic, many of their clan came to Southeast Asia and were scattered all over Singapore and Malaysia. However, due to the great differences in human relations and environment, they gradually departed from the Islamic teaching. However in the practice of remembering their ancestors, they will strictly observe halal food (no pork). This shows that they are following the fatwa of the past, and that they have not forgotten their origins. [2]
In an oral interview recorded by the George Town World Heritage Incorporated, Keh Siew Tiong, born in 1932 explains that they abstain from eating pork only when their family members pass away. According to their tradition, the abstinence period lasts for 49 days and requires them to use another tableware set, specially reserved for the occasion. [3] This proves that although the Koays have fully assimilated into the local Chinese culture and are no longer practising Muslims, they still do not serve pork to their ancestors out of respect that the ancestors may be Muslims.
Although the Koay Jetty in Penang was demolished in 2006, people can still admire the once charming jetty through miniatures of the heritage stilt houses set up at the Koay Jetty Memorial Hall in Gat Lebuh Macallum. [4]
Ask a Koay (any Koay!) if they are still practicing this unique cultural tradition.
๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐? ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!❤️๐ฅ
Sources:
Copy and paste: 3 December 2020 / 17 Rabiulakhir 1442H: 4.46 pm
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