Jawi Peranakan
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Malaysia and Singapore | |
| Languages | |
| Malay | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Overseas Indians · Malay |
The Jawi Peranakan (Jawi: جاوي ڤرانقن) is an ethnic group found primarily within the Malaysian state of Penang and in Singapore, both regions were part of the historical Straits Settlements where their culture and history is centred around. The term "Jawi Peranakan" refers to locally born, Malay-speaking Muslims of mixed Indian and Malay ancestry. They were an elite group within the British Malayan community in mid-19th century Malaya. In addition to their substantial wealth and social standing, they are remembered for setting up the first Malay newspaper in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and China, the Jawi Peranakan.
Since Penang and Singapore's founding in 1805 and 1819, the number of South Asian immigrants to these colonies grew rapidly. Many were South Indian men. However, Jawi Peranakan ancestry does include a large number other South Asians, from northern India and Pakistan. Women travelled to Singapore only from the 1860s, and even then in small numbers. This led to a shortage of South Asian brides, and so South Asian Muslim men often married Malay Muslim women. The descendants of these unions were called Jawi Peranakan.
"Jawi" is an Arabic word to denote Southeast Asia, while Peranakan is a Malay word meaning "born of" (it also refers to the elite, locally born Chinese). More broadly, South Asian Muslims without mixed parentage but born in the Straits Settlements were sometimes also called Jawi Peranakan, as were children from Arab-Malay marriages. Similar terms for mixed Malay-South Asian people were "Jawi Pekan" (mostly used in Penang). Jawi Peranakan families were found throughout Malaysia, especially Penang, and Singapore.
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