▁claimed ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁advoc ating ▁an ▁Islam ▁that ▁was ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁Mal ay ▁orientation . ▁In ▁order ▁to ▁protect ▁their ▁own ▁religious ▁interests , ▁these ▁anti - ker aja an ▁activ ists ▁came ▁together ▁to ▁fight ▁against ▁the ▁Mal ay ▁el ites . ▁ ▁East ▁Sum atra ▁under ▁the ▁Dutch ▁( 1 9 3 0 s ▁- ▁ 1 9 4 2 ) ▁ ▁Eth nic ▁T ensions ▁ ▁The ▁infl ux ▁of ▁Chinese , ▁J avan ese ▁and ▁other ▁eth nic ▁imm igr ants ▁into ▁the ▁region ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁spawn ed ▁several ▁official ▁associations ▁that ▁were ▁connected ▁to ▁ ▁royal ty ▁to ▁identify ▁specific ▁ind igen ous ▁elements ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁cultural ▁core ▁of ▁East ▁Sum at ran ▁society . ▁Even ▁though ▁the ▁Kar o ▁people , ▁Malays , ▁and ▁S imal ung un ▁people ▁were ▁all ▁recogn ised ▁as ▁ind igen ous ▁communities ▁in ▁the ▁region , ▁the ▁royal ty ▁and ▁associations ▁chose ▁to ▁emphas ize ▁more ▁on ▁pres erving ▁the ▁Mal ay ▁cultural ▁identity . ▁Special ▁privileges ▁were ▁granted ▁to ▁the ▁Malays ▁( such ▁as ▁accessing ▁to ▁plant ation ▁land ) ▁by ▁the ▁Dutch ▁and ▁the ▁social ▁status ▁of ▁the ▁Malays ▁appeared ▁to ▁be ▁much ▁higher ▁than ▁the ▁other ▁ind igen ous ▁communities ▁in ▁East ▁Sum atra . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁other ▁two ▁ind igen ous ▁communities ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁other ▁loc als ▁felt ▁this ▁was ▁unf air ▁and ▁that ▁resulted ▁in ▁unw anted ▁eth nic ▁t