Closer to home in faraway land

Arabs in Singapore have maintained ties with their homelands even as they have assimilated into the Eastern milieu.

When Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo visited Yemen in May 2007, he heard an unusual story. It described how one of his countrymen, a wealthy man of Yemeni descent and a leader of the Al Kaff tribe, had gone visiting his relatives back home at the beginning of the last century.

The tribal leader, originally from the Yemeni province of Hadhramout, which was known throughout history for its traders, had decided to bring his car along.

He got the vehicle shipped to the port of Mukkala in southern Yemen. But as no paved roads existed then, the automobile had to be dismantled and carried on camelback to the town of Tarim, where it was re-assembled and put to use.

Yeo narrated the story to a group of journalists from the Middle East as an example of the bridges that have existed between Singapore and the Arab region.

Ameen Taleb, a 47-year-old university teacher and Arab restaurant owner in Singapore, who had accompanied Yeo on that visit, too, remembered the tale.

"He [Yeo] was surprised to see how we acted on our arrival in Yemen," Taleb said. "Each of us has relatives there," Taleb told Weekend Review at his restaurant on Singapore's Arab Street.

Relations with the Middle East "are in our blood", Yeo said, adding that there were many people of Arab descent, mainly Yemeni, in Singapore. "Most of the Yemenis [in Singapore] are from Hadhramout," Yeo said.

Hadhramis started arriving in Singapore in 1918. The British statesman Sir Thomas Raffles, the "founder" of Singapore, convinced Arabs, many of whom were either already in Malaysia or were actively involved in trade with the country, to relocate to Singapore.

The Yemenis were known for being shrewd traders whose business extended from East Africa to the Middle East and India, to Southeast Asia. Among the first Arabs to settle in Singapore was Seyed Omar Al Juneid, who established the first mosque in Singapore. The mosque, located on Arab Street, is called the Sultan Masjid. The Yemenis are believed to have introduced Islam to Singapore.

"Yemeni traders spread Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia before Singapore," Taleb said. "They were not missionaries. They arrived as traders and their way of dealing was notable."

Today the Hadhramis make up about 99 per cent of the Arab community in Singapore, Taleb said. They are from known families such as Al Juneid, Saqqaf, Kaff and Basharhabil. "We have never cut our relations with Yemen nor want them to be cut," Taleb said.

Singaporeans with Yemeni roots are estimated to number between 15,000 and 20,000. The community is well-knit and has established an Arab association, which organises activities involving other communities, mainly Arab.

During the past 30 years, more Arabs from other countries, including Egypt and Morocco, have migrated to Singapore. Taleb is a third-generation Singaporean of Yemeni descent. His father was born in Singapore in 1920. Taleb himself has moved between Aden, Singapore and Cairo, where his mother lives. After completing his doctorate in accounting in the United Kingdom, Taleb opted to open a restaurant.

"It was sad to see that Arab Street had few Arabs. One or two shops sell al oud, and the remaining ones Asian-made products, mainly from Indonesia. I told myself there should be an Arab cultural presence on Arab Street," said Taleb, who is keen on introducing the Arabic language and culture to his son by taking him on visits to the Arab countries.

Taleb's restaurant opened in 2001. It offers dishes from the Yemeni and other Arabic cuisines, such as al mandi, kabsa, kebab, foul, hummus and okra.

Most of the restaurant's clients are from the local community. "My aim was not purely business. I sought to promote [Yemeni culture]. I wanted to attract Singaporeans to Arab cuisine and civilisation," Taleb explains, as the restaurant's music system plays Arab songs in the background.

When asked who the singer was, Taleb paused before replying: "Nancy Ajram or Haifa Wehbe. I am not sure." The Lebanese female singers he mentions are popular, especially among the younger generation, in Arab countries.

"I like to listen to Arab singers such as Mohammad Abdul Wahab and Umm Kalthoum, but young people don't like them. That is why I play songs that appeal to the young generation," he said.

Singapore's Arab Street resembles downtown localities in Arab cities. Some of the streets bear names of their counterparts or locations in the Middle East: Baghdad Street, Bousrah Street and Sultan Street.

Colourful rugs with oriental designs hang outside shops selling carpets and furnishings. Arabic words can be spotted on some signboards: "Halal" or "Al Oud and Bakhour".

Several pavement cafés offer shisha and the demand is high. Many Arabs were encouraged to start businesses selling accessories for the traditional smoking device.

"Many restaurant owners come here to buy shisha supplies," said Seyed Ali Al Juneid, a 26-year-old who has studied mechanical engineering. "This is good for us," Juneid said.

About six months ago, Juneid and his brother-in-law opened a shop that imports goods from Dubai, Amman, Damascus, Turkey and Tehran.

Members of the Arab community said they were keen to keep their relations with their ancestors' home alive. None of them speak of problems in mingling with their Eastern environment. Singapore, Taleb said, "is our home".