Sharif Masahor bin Muhammad Al-Shahab, also written as Syed Mashhor and commonly known as Syarif Masahor, or Sharif Masahor in Malayan contexts, (died 1890 in
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
) was a famous
Malay rebel of
Hadhrami descent
Descent may refer to:
As a noun Genealogy and inheritance
* Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology
* Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology
**Pedigree chart or family tree
** Ancestry
** Lineal descendant
**Heritag ...
in
Sarikei
Sarikei is a town, and the capital of Sarikei District (985 square kilometres) in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River, near where the river empties into the South China Sea. The district population (year 201 ...
,
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
state,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
during the Brooke
White Rajahs
The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton James Brooke. As a reward ...
era in that state. Later, he played an important role in the
Klang War
The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor in the Malay Peninsula (modern-day Malaysia).
It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, the admini ...
.
Background
Before the arrival of
James Brooke
Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
Brooke was b ...
, he was a powerful member who ruled and, in the past, like
Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur, he was very influential and respected due to both his charisma in uniting the people of different races and beliefs, and also due to his lineage. Syarif was annoyed by James Brooke who intruded Syarif's territory.
Resistance and death
James Brooke
Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
Brooke was b ...
's expansion policy caused disturbance in many parts of
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
. In the initial agreement between James Brooke and the Sultan of Brunei, Sarawak was only a territory which stretched from
Tanjung Datu to Maong River (Sungai Maong). Syarif's territory was far away from the designated area. Brooke's encroachment into local leaders' territory caused many locals to rebel, including Syarif Masahor.
James Brooke departed for England at the end of 1857, leaving his nephew, Captain John Brooke Brooke, in charge. This allowed Masahor to put his plans into action. In July 1859, Masahor and his army attacked Brooke's outpost near
Bukit Rejang in
Kanowit
Kanowit ( Malay: ''Pekan Kanowit'') is a town and the capital of a district of the same name, located within the Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, comprising 2,253.5 square kilometres. As of 2010, Kanowit's population is 28,985. It is built ...
. During this attack, officers
Charles Fox and Henry Steele were killed by
Melanau
Melanau or ''A-Likou'' (meaning River people in Mukah dialect) is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak. They speak in the Melanau language, which is a part of the North Bornean branc ...
people led by Sawing and Sakalai. This frightened the Brooke government following the rebellion by the Bau Chinese in 1857, and the massacre of Europeans in SE Borneo in May of 1859, at the start of the
Banjarmasin War
The Banjarmasin War (in old spelling ''Bandjermasin War'', Dutch: ''Bandjermasinse Oorlog'', or formally ''Expeditie naar de Zuider- en Oosterafdeling van Borneo'') (1859–1863) was a war of succession in the Sultanate of Banjarmasin, as w ...
.
In early 1860, Masahor ordered Temenggung Hayim Jalil from
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
to go to
Pontianak
Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.31 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River at a point where it is joined ...
for a meeting with Abdul Gapur. In early February 1860 they mounted an assault on Kuching (at that time, Sarawak), according to Masahor's plan. Masahor and his army wanted to approach Kuching via the Sarawak River. In the battle that ensued, the Sarawak forces gained the upper hand when Charles Brooke succeeded in ambushing and destroying all Masahor's ships. Facing defeat, Masahor retreated to Brunei, where he would seek shelter from the Sarawak government.
However, in 1861, James Brooke went to Brunei, in hopes of forcing the Sultan of Brunei to banish Syarif Masahor to
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
once and for all. Masahor eventually arrived at
Klang, where he became an adviser to
Sultan Abdul Samad.
During the
Klang War
The Klang War or Selangor Civil War was a series of conflicts that lasted from 1867 to 1874 in the Malay state of Selangor in the Malay Peninsula (modern-day Malaysia).
It was initially fought between Raja Abdullah bin Raja Jaafar, the admini ...
however, Syarif Masahor sided with the rebellious Klang territorial chief Raja Mahadi who did not recognise Sultan Abdul Samad's rule. Abdul Samad sought British help to win the war, and Masahor ended up fighting against the British for a second time. Nevertheless, after the surrender of Raja Mahadi and Syarif Masahor, they were both pardoned by Abdul Samad. Syarif Masahor died in
Kerling, Selangor in 1890 and was buried there.
Aftermath
Even after the loss of Syarif Masahor, Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur continued his resistance against the Brooke occupation of Sarawak through
Pontianak
Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.31 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River at a point where it is joined ...
. But the Dutch quickly captured him, and he was imprisoned in
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
before being sent to Mecca.
Furthermore, most Malays in what was Sarawak at that time (presently
Kuching) did not give support to Syarif Masahor and his resistance fighters because of their loyalty to
James Brooke
Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
Brooke was b ...
, as Brooke was deemed as a saviour from Brunei's tyranny. However, they in the same time did not give any support to
James Brooke
Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (29 April 1803 – 11 June 1868), was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
Brooke was b ...
, as Syarif Masahor was claimed to be of holy lineage, descended from the
Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
himself. Malays, Melanaus and Dayaks from areas outside Kuching (largely Kanowit) rallied behind Syarif Masahor.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masahor, Syarif
Malaysian rebels
Malaysian warriors
People from Sarawak
Year of birth missing
1890 deaths
Raj of Sarawak
Malaysian people of Yemeni descent
Melanau people
Hadhrami people
1850s in British Malaya
People of British Borneo
People of British Malaya