Kapitan Arab

The Captain of Arabs with his servant in Tegal
The Kapitein der Arabieren of Pekalongan at his terrace, circa 1920

Kapitan Arab or Kapten Arab (Captain of the Arabs; Dutch: Kapitein der Arabieren; Arabic: كابتن العرب, romanized: Kābitin al-'Arab) or Head of The Arabs (Dutch: Hoofd der Arabieren; Arabic: قائد العرب, romanized: Qā'id al-'Arab) is a position in the colonial Dutch East Indies appointed with the task of leading the ethnic Arab-Indonesians, who usually lived in concentrated clearly defined-living areas (Kampung Arab).[1] The role was to provide liaison between his community and the government, to provide statistical information to The Dutch East Indies government on issues related to Arabs, to disseminate government regulations and decrees, and to ensure the maintenance of law and order.[2]

  1. ^ Jacobsen, Frode F. (2008). Hadrami Arabs in Present-day Indonesia: An Indonesia-oriented Group with an Arab Signature. Taylor & Francis. p. 24. ISBN 978-020388-4614.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference awakening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).