Medan, Indonesia – On a cloudy and dull 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 city of Medan in North Sumatra.
Outside the palace, a sea of people dressed predominantly in white, green, black and red, the colours of the Palestinian flag, had gathered to hear speeches in support of the Palestinian cause.
Many in the crowd were wearing headbands with the Indonesian and Palestinian flags on them that bounced as they moved, or cloth bands tied around their foreheads with the words “Save Palestine” printed on them. Large and small Palestinian flags rippled in the breeze and were waved by men and women, while small stickers of the flag were stuck to participants’ cheeks.
Mothers pushed babies in prams and children held their parents’ hands as they proudly posed for family photos with flags or flashing peace signs. At times, pockets of the crowds would erupt with chants and slogans such as, “Israel are terrorists!” and “Free Palestine”, as participants pumped their fists in the air.
The crowds were there for a peaceful demonstration in support of Palestine, one of many protests and rallies held across the country amid Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 20,000 people since October 7, when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel.
The Medan rally was an interfaith event to which Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian leaders were invited, representing the six official religions of Indonesia.
Also at the rally was a sizeable number of self-declared homemakers who have built a movement to collect aid for Palestine. Among them was 51-year-old Normala Sari, who said she had attended four other demonstrations across North Sumatra and that she would continue to do so until a permanent ceasefire has been called in Gaza.
“We consider the Palestinians our family too,” she said. “If they are sad, we are sad. If they are afraid, we feel afraid.”
‘Colonialism must be abolished’
The Palestinian cause is an important one in Indonesia, with demographics and history binding them. Like Palestine, Indonesia is a nation of diverse faiths with a firm Muslim majority: 87 percent of the country’s 270 million population is Muslim.
Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, which was drafted following independence from the Dutch, states that “all colonialism must be abolished in this world” – a call often quoted in the country in support of Palestine.
Back when Indonesia was fighting for independence from the Dutch, Palestinian leaders were among the most prompt to show support – and Indonesians have not forgotten.
“There are deep emotional ties between Indonesia and Palestine that make us so close,” Sari said. “Back in 1945, Palestine told the world that we were free. Palestine was one of the first places to recognise Indonesia as a free country. We are like brothers in that way.”
In 1945, Sheikh Muhammad Amin al-Husaini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem and the supreme leader of the Council of Palestine, lobbied Arab states to recognise Indonesia as an independent country through the Arab League, a regional organisation established in March 1945 including Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Emirate of Transjordan and Lebanon.
Yasser Arafat, the then-leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, visited the country in 1984, 1992, 1993 and 2000, while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas conducted his first state visit to Indonesia in 2007, visiting again in 2010 and 2014.
Over the years, Indonesia has in turn been consistently supportive of Palestine and does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel. In 1988, Indonesia granted official recognition to Palestine and, two years later in 1990, a Palestinian embassy was opened in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
“Independence is the right of everyone, so we don’t support it when the Israelis take away the land of Palestinians,” Sari said. “We hope there will be a ceasefire because the Israeli forces are not following the rules of war and children without any sin have been killed.”
The homemaker movement
Nationally, the pro-Palestinian protests have taken a range of forms, including calls for a boycott of perceived Israel-affiliated businesses including Starbucks and McDonald’s.
At the rally in Medan, Sari told Al Jazeera that homemakers had their own initiatives, viewing the support for Palestine as an extension of their roles as mothers and wives.
They are also a cornerstone of fundraising efforts.
At a recent pro-Palestine rally in Sumatra, which she attended, Sari said there was a collection to raise money to send aid to Palestine and that the homemakers in attendance took off their gold jewellery and handed it to the rally organisers in lieu of money.
“We raised 2 billion Indonesian Rupiah ($128,000) that day. Even a housewife who had just been bought a new gold bracelet by her husband the week before the rally took it off immediately,” she said.
“I think all the mothers here, if we had the chance, would go to Palestine without any hesitation and do what we could to help. We have all seen on TV what is happening over there, especially to the children.”
Other housewives at the rally echoed Sari’s sentiments, telling Al Jazeera they were prepared to travel to Palestine and fight against Israeli forces if needed, or provide support in other ways such as cooking and handing out aid.
“We want to tell the world that North Sumatra loves Palestine deeply and we are devastated about what the Zionists are doing,” Sari said. “We cry for Palestine.”
A family affair
Sari said that, in addition to housewives, children are also prominent at pro-Palestinian rallies in North Sumatra, which have become family affairs.
Other mothers at the rally told Al Jazeera that they view these peaceful demonstrations as important opportunities to educate their children about the Palestinian cause and impart lessons on universal themes such as human rights and community spirit.
Sari’s 15-year-old son has learning disabilities and the demonstrations she attends serve as classrooms for him. She said that she always brings him with her when she attends a rally as she feels it is paramount that he understands the issues in Palestine and learns to support his fellow Muslims at home or abroad.
“My son has disabilities, but he attends all the rallies with me,” Sari said. “I want to teach him the meaning of love.”
