Email this article The Kafala System: Perspective of Middle Eastern Culture and Its Impact on Migrant Workers
(1) Universitas Indonesia
(2) Universitas Indonesia
Abstract
This study analyzes the kafala system in the Middle East, which is often regarded as a form of modern slavery against migrant workers. While the system has been examined from various perspectives, this research focuses on the relationship between the kafala system and Middle Eastern culture, as well as the influence of cultural factors on its persistence and implementation in the contemporary era. The study employs a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach based on secondary data, including books, journal articles, and international reports. The theoretical framework used is the Cultural Lag Theory developed by William Ogburn (1922). The analysis reveals that the current kafala system is a combination of traditional Middle Eastern cultural practices and the legacy of British colonialism during the 1970s, which has since evolved over time. Despite widespread international criticism, the system persists due to cultural values in the Middle East that support social hierarchy and control over foreign workers. Various reforms have been implemented to improve the welfare of migrant workers. This study affirms that understanding cultural factors is crucial in formulating a policy analysis basis and diplomatic strategies to strengthen the protection of Indonesian migrant workers.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
AlGhanim, K. (2015, September). Kafala system remains resilient in the GCC: Labor Market dynamics in the GCC States, Oxford Gulf & Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum, 41, 6-9
AlHashem, F. (2017). An Illusion of Freedom: Kafala System and Its Benefits For Kuwait. Thesis at Lebanese American University. https://laur.lau.edu.lb:8443/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10725/8177/Farrah_AL_Hashem_Thesis_Redacted.pdf?sequence=1
Al-Maydaniy. (2018). Kitab Peribahasa Arab Majma' Al-Amthal. Kuala Terengganu: Penerbit Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.
Al-Mubarakfuri, S. S. (2021). Posisi Bangsa Arab dan Gambaran Masyarakat Arab Jahiliyah: Seri Sirah Nabawi. Yogyakarta: Hikam Pustaka.
Arab News. (2016, July 6). Delay in salary threatens workers’ Eid celebrations. Arab News. Retrieved from https://www.arabnews.com/node/981216/saudi-arabia
Barakat, H. (2021a). Dinamika Kebudayaan Arab. Bandung: Nusamedia.
Barakat, H. (2021b). Identitas Arab dan Masalah Diversitas & Integrasi. Bandung: Nusamedia.
Barakat, H. (2021c). Struktur Sosial dan Institusi-Institusi di Arab. Bandung: Nusamedia.
Ghony, D., S Almansur, F. (2016). Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: Ar-Ruzz Media.
Haas, de H., Castles, S., S Miller, M. J. (2020). The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World (6th ed.).
Harb, C. (2016). The Arab region: Cultures, values, and identity. In Handbook of Arab American psychology.
(pp. 3–18). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor S Francis Group.
International Labour Organization. (2025). Progress report on the techical cooperation programme between the Government of Qatar and the ILO. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/publications/progress- report-technical-cooperation-programme-between-government-qatar-0
Jureidini, R. S Hassan, S. F. (Eds). (2019). The Islamic Principle of Kafala as Applied to Migrant Workers: Traditional Continuity and Reform. dalam: Migration and Islamic Ethics: Issues of Residence, Naturalization and Citizenship. Leiden: Brill.
Kakande, Y. (2015). Slave States: The Practice of Kafala in the Gulf Arab Region. Collective Ink. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=VEXtCgAAQBAJ
Kalush, R., S Saraswathi, V. (2024). Reforms without Rights: The GCC states’ blinkered view of labour reforms. Gulf Research Center, (2), 1–23. Retrieved from https://gulfmigration.grc.net/wp- content/uploads/2024/09/Kalush-Saraswathi-Reforms-without-Rights-Published-2024-09-09.pdf
Kelly, K. C., Restu, U., S Indriyany, I. A. (2022). Hegemony of Saudi Arabia's Kafala System in The Relationship Between Employer and Indonesian Female Domestic Migrant Workers 2018-2020. International Journal of Social Sciences Review. 3(1): 18-33.
Khalaf, A., AlShehabi, O., S Hanieh, A. (2015). Transit States: Labour, Migration and Citizenship in the Gulf. Pluto Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt183p1j8
Lumbanraja, A. D., & Yusriyadi. (2021). The urgency to reform the kafala system in the sake of human rights of Indonesia domestic workers. Ijtihad: Jurnal Wacana Hukum Islam dan Kemanusiaan, 21(2), 213-230.
Migrant-rights. (2021, April 12). The Flexi Permit Experiment: No Kafala, but poor labour practices persist. Migrant-Rights.Org. Retrieved from https://www.migrant-rights.org/2021/04/the-flexi-permit- experiment-no-kafala-but-poor-labour-practices-persist/
Migrant-rights. (2025, February 7). Oman’s Wage Protection System Struggles with Non-Compliance. Migrant-Rights.Org. Retrieved from https://www.migrant-rights.org/2025/02/omans-wage- protection-system-struggles-with-non-compliance/
Miles, M. B., S Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook, 2nd ed. In Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
Modern slavery in Saudi Arabia. (2023). Walk Free. Retrieved September 26, 2025, from https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/country-studies/saudi-arabia/
Ogburn, W. F. (1923). Social Change. With Respect to Culture and Original Nature. The Journal of Philosophy, 20(19), 526. https://doi.org/10.2307/2939859
Pattisson, P., & McIntyre, N. (2021, February 23). Revealed: 6500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since World Cup awarded. The Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022
Pattisson, P. (2024, March 21). Used, abused and deported: migrant workers land back in Bangladesh after Saudi dreams turn sour. The Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2025, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/mar/21/used-abused-and-deported-migrant-workers-land-back-in-bangladesh-after-saudi-dreams-turn-sour?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Reda, A. A., Fraser, N. A., & Khattab, A. (2023). Does Social Mobility Matter? The Kafala System and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment. SAGE Journals, 21(4), 801-824. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/14789299221130901
Roberts, N., Mengge, B., Utina, M. R., Muhatar, F., Anugerah, Icwardanhi, A., Zulkifli, R. M., S Humphries, A. (2022). Patron-Client relationships shape value chains in an Indonesian island-based fisheries system. Marine Policy. 143.
Santos, A. P. (2023, May 30). Kuwait, Philippines ties tense over migrant workers' rights – DW – 05/30/2023. DW. Retrieved September 26, 2025, from https://www.dw.com/en/philippines-kuwait-ties-tense-over-migrant-workers-rights/a-65773627?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Saudi Arabia: Dozens of Sri Lankan women wrongfully detained for months due to abusive kafala system. (2021, April 15). amnesty.org. Retrieved September 26, 2025, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/04/saudi-arabia-dozens-of-sri-lankan-women-wrongfully-detained-for-months-due-to-abusive-kafala-system-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Silviana, Sood, M., S Makhroja, M. N. (2022). Analisis Implemetasi Sistem Sponsorship (kafala) terhadap Pelanggaran Hak Pekerja Migran Indonesia di Saudia Arabia. IJGD: Indonesian Journal of Global Discourse. 4(2): 96-109.
Supawi, T. I., S Badrun. (2022). Integrasi Budaya Arab Pra-Islam dan Budaya Arab di Indonesia. Local history & Heritage. 2(1): 53-58.
Truluck, E. (2023). Using Islam to Protect the Rights of Migrant Workers: Bringing Kafala into Sharia Compliance in Saudi Arabia. UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.5070/N420160505
Zed, M. (2008). Metode Penelitian Kepustakaan. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.id/books?id=zG9sDAAAQBAJ
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34007/jehss.v8i2.2860
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Education, Humaniora and Social Sciences (JEHSS)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Journal of Education, Humaniora and Social Sciences (JEHSS)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License