Medan, Indonesia – On a cloudy, gloomy Sunday morning in December, more than a thousand people gathered on the grounds of the Istana Maimoon, a 19th-century palace that is a local landmark in the northern city of Medan. Sumatra.
Outside the palace, a crowd of people dressed mostly in white, green, black and red, the colors of the Palestinian flag, had gathered to hear speeches in support of the Palestinian cause.
Many in the crowd wore headbands with the Indonesian and Palestinian flags that bounced when they moved, or cloth headbands tied around their foreheads with the words “Save Palestine” printed on them. Large and small Palestinian flags waved in the breeze and were waved by men and women, while small stickers of the flag were stuck on the cheeks of participants.
Mothers pushed their babies in prams and children held their parents’ hands as they proudly posed for family photos with flashing flags or peace signs. At times, groups of crowds would break out with chants and slogans such as “Israel is a terrorist!” and “Free Palestine,” as participants raised their fists in the air.
The crowd was present for a peaceful demonstration in support of Palestine, one of several demonstrations and rallies held across the country in the context of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 20,000 people since October 7, when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel.
The Medan gathering was an interfaith event to which Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian leaders, representing Indonesia’s six official religions, were invited.
A significant number of self-described housewives were also present at the rally and created a movement to raise aid for Palestine. Among them was Normala Sari, 51, who said she had attended four other protests in North Sumatra and would continue to do so until a permanent ceasefire was called for in Gaza.
“We also consider the Palestinians our family,” she said. “If they are sad, we are sad. If they are afraid, we are afraid.
“Colonialism must be abolished”
The Palestinian cause is important in Indonesia because it is linked to demographics and history. Like Palestine, Indonesia is a nation of diverse faiths with a strong Muslim majority: 87 percent of the country’s 270 million people are Muslim.
Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, written after independence from the Netherlands, states that “all colonialism must be abolished in this world” – an oft-cited call in the country in support of Palestine.
When Indonesia was fighting for independence from the Dutch, Palestinian leaders were among the quickest to show their support – and Indonesians have not forgotten that.
“There are deep emotional ties between Indonesia and Palestine that make us so close,” Sari said. “In 1945, Palestine declared to the world that we were free. Palestine was one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia as a free country. We are like brothers in that sense.
In 1945, Sheikh Muhammad Amin al-Husaini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and supreme leader of the Palestine Council, pressured Arab states to recognize Indonesia as an independent country through the Arab League, a regional organization created in March 1945 including Egypt. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Emirate of Transjordan and Lebanon.
Yasser Arafat, then leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, visited the country in 1984, 1992, 1993 and 2000, while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made his first visit to State in Indonesia in 2007, before going there again in 2010 and 2014.
Over the years, Indonesia has consistently supported Palestine and does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel. In 1988, Indonesia granted official recognition to Palestine, and two years later, in 1990, a Palestinian embassy was opened in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.
“Independence is everyone’s right, that’s why we don’t support it when Israelis take over Palestinian land,” Sari said. “We hope there will be a ceasefire because Israeli forces are not respecting the rules of war and children have been killed without any sin. »
The housewives movement
Nationally, pro-Palestinian protests have taken various forms, including calls to boycott businesses perceived to be affiliated with Israel, including Starbucks and McDonald’s.
At the rally in Medan, Sari told Tel Aviv Tribune that housewives had their own initiatives, seeing support for Palestine as an extension of their role as mothers and wives.
They are also the cornerstone of fundraising efforts.
At a recent pro-Palestinian rally in Sumatra, which she attended, Sari said that there was a fundraiser to send aid to Palestine and that the housewives present had taken off their jewelry in gold and handed them over to the rally organizers in exchange for money. .
“We collected 2 billion Indonesian rupiahs ($128,000) that day. Even a housewife whose husband had just bought a new gold bracelet the week before the gathering immediately took it off,” she said.
“I think all the mothers here, if we had the chance, would go to Palestine without any hesitation and do everything we can to help them. We have all seen on television what is happening there, especially with regard to children.
Other housewives at the rally echoed Sari’s sentiments, telling Tel Aviv Tribune they were ready to travel to Palestine and fight Israeli forces if necessary, or provide support in other ways , such as cooking and distributing aid.
“We want to tell the world that North Sumatra loves Palestine deeply and we are devastated by what the Zionists are doing,” Sari said. “We cry for Palestine. »
A family matter
Sari said that besides housewives, children are also present at pro-Palestinian rallies in North Sumatra, which have become a family affair.
Other mothers at the rally told Tel Aviv Tribune that they saw the peaceful protests as important opportunities to educate their children about the Palestinian cause and impart lessons on universal themes such as human rights and freedom. community spirit.
Sari’s 15-year-old son has learning disabilities and the protests she attends serve as his classroom. She said she always takes him with her when she attends a rally because she believes it is essential that he understands the issues in Palestine and learns to support his fellow Muslims at home or abroad.
“My son is disabled, but he attends all the rallies with me,” Sari said. “I want to teach him the meaning of love.”
