PELAYARAN HAJI ORANG MELAYU SEBELUM PERANG DUNIA KEDUA
Abstract: The pilgrimage of
Malays to Mecca, the Holy Land is always rife with problems from the transportation
aspects, especially the issue of crowded ships. Between the years 1870 to 1872,
ships carrying hajj pilgrims from the port of Singapore were reportedly
carrying passengers exceeding the legal capacity as provided by the law. Local
Malay language newspapers often featured the thoughts and feelings of Malays
who considered the state of the crowded and dirty ships carrying the pilgrims
as an insult to their dignity, religion and race. Although many complaints were
voiced by various parties, congestion on the hajj ships was still a major
problem in the pilgrimage until the 1950’s. The ships’ conditions; crowded with
pilgrims and cargo were caused by those who wanted to take advantage of the
Muslim pilgrimage. The incident that happened to the ship S. S. Jeddah that
almost sunk with a thousand pilgrims on board had smeared the transportation industry,
thereby embarrassing the British who had been overseeing all the affairs in respect
of pilgrims’ transportation.
Penulis: Aiza Maslan
Kode Jurnal: jpsejarah&umumdd130181
