Siti Musdah Mulia (born 1958) is an Indonesian women's right activist and professor of religion. [1] She was the first woman appointed as a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and is currently a lecturer of Islamic political thought at the School of Graduate Studies at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University. [2] [1] [3] Since 2007, Musdah has served as chairperson of the NGO Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, which aims to promote interfaith dialogue in Indonesia. [2] [4] She also served as director of the Megawati Institute, a think-tank established by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri. [5]
Musdah was born in Bone, South Sulawesi, in 1958, to a conservative Muslim family. [5] Her father was a local Islamic leader who served as a battalion leader in Darul Islam, while her mother was the first girl from her village to graduate from an Islamic school. [6]
In 1997, Musdah became the first woman to receive a PhD in Islamic thought from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University. [7] [1] From 1999 until 2007 she served as a senior advisor at the Ministry of Religious Affairs where she contributed to the 2004 legal draft challenging Indonesia's proposed Islamic legal code, recommending that it be amended to prohibit child marriage and polygamy, and allow interfaith marriage; due to violent protests, the redraft was ultimately dropped. [2] [1] From 2000 until 2005, she was head of the research division of the Council of Indonesian Ulema. [2]
Musdah has also written books, including Islam Criticises Polygamy (2003), TheReformist Muslimah's Encyclopedia: Essence of Ideas for Reinterpretation and Action (2004), and Islam and the Inspiration of Gender Equality (2005). [2] In 2020, she launched an updated edition of Reformist Muslimah. [4]
Musdah has expressed moderate views on Islamic issues; she has stated there is no directive demanding women wear the hijab, and has expressed LGBT-friendly sentiments. [5] Musdah also deemed polygamy to be haram. [8] She also has expressed the view that Muslim women should be permitted to interpret Islamic teachings themselves and become ulama. [9]
Musdah received the 2007 International Women of Courage Award from the United States government. In 2008, she received the Yap Thiam Hien Human Rights Award for her work on promoting dialogue and inclusiveness in Islam. [3] [1] [7]
Abdurrahman Wahid, though more colloquially known as Gus Dur, was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, from his election in 1999 until his removal from power in 2001. A long time leader within the Nahdlatul Ulama organization, he was the founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB). He was the son of Minister of Religious Affairs Wahid Hasyim, and the grandson of Nahdatul Ulama founder Hasyim Asy'ari. He had a visual impairment caused by glaucoma; he was blind on the left eye and partially blind on his right eye. He was the first and as of 2022 the only president of Indonesia to have had physical disabilities.
State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta is a public university in Indonesia, located in Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten.
Azyumardi Azra, was an Indonesian public intellectual, Muslim scholar and Rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. He graduated from Department of History, Columbia University in 1992. He was known as a prolific books writer; member of advisory board of a number of international organizations such as UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. After serving as Rector at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, he was the Director of Graduate School.
Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, commonly known as Mahfud MD, is an Indonesian politician and lawyer, who is currently serving as the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs of Indonesia. He is the first civilian to hold the office; with all of his predecessors coming from military – mostly Army – retirees. He also previously served as the chief justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, member of the People's Representative Council, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Law and Human Rights.
Muslim marriage and Islamic wedding customs are traditions and practices that relate to wedding ceremonies and marriage rituals prevailing within the Muslim world. Although Islamic marriage customs and relations vary depending on country of origin and government regulations, both Muslim men and women from around the world are guided by Islamic laws and practices specified in the Quran. Islamic marital jurisprudence allows Muslim men to be married to multiple women.
Komaruddin Hidayat is an Indonesian academic and intellectual. He has been rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta since 2006. His intellectual ability was demonstrated at several study and research institutions. Apart from his academic work, he was also a columnist in the mass media.
Muhammad Quraish Shihab is an Indonesian Arab-Bugis Muslim scholar in the sciences of the Qur'an, an author, an Academic Scholar, and former Minister of Religious Affairs in the Fourth Development Cabinet (1998). He is the older brother of the former Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Alwi Shihab.
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Tutty Alawiyah, sometimes spelled Tuty Alawiyah, was an Indonesian politician and women's rights advocate. She served as Minister of State for Women's Affairs from March 1998 to October 1999 during the administrations of both President Suharto and his successor, President B. J. Habibie.
Studia Islamika is a triannual peer-reviewed open access academic journal covering Islamic studies, especially concerning Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general. It was established in 1994 and is published by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society. The editor-in-chief is Azyumardi Azra. Articles are published in English or Arabic.
Ar-Raniry State Islamic University Banda Aceh (Bahasa Indonesia: Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh or it is simply called UIN Ar-Raniry, is a public Islamic university in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia. The University is run under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
Amany Burhanuddin Umar Lubis is an Indonesian Muslim, female scholar of Mandailing-Egyptian descent. As an Islamic scholar, Amany was appointed as chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council for Women, Youth and Families for the 2015–2020 period. On January 7, 2019, she was appointed as rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta by the minister of religion affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Lukman Hakim Saifuddin. Her new position made her as the first woman who served as chancellor of the largest Islamic university in Indonesia, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.
Nabilah Lubis is an Indonesian philologist, writer, translator and lecturer. Nabilah is an Egyptian woman who was married by a Batak Mandailing man from Medan named Burhanuddin Umar Lubis, so she changed her last name to Nabilah Lubis.
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Bahtiar Effendi was a prominent Indonesian Muslim scholar and public intellectual. He was a professor at the Faculty of Social and Political Science at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. Effendi was widely known for his relentless support for democracy and religious pluralism in Indonesian society.
Hermeneutics of feminism in Islam is a system of interpreting the sacred texts of that religion, the Quran and Sunnah. Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially of sacred texts, and Islamic feminism has a long history upon which to draw. Muslim feminists reinterpret gendered Islamic texts and challenge interpretive traditions to promote the ideas of gender equality.
Ayang Utriza Yakin is an Indonesian-born scholar of Islamic Studies based in Belgium. He is a research associate at Université catholique de Louvain, a visiting professor at Ghent University, and researcher at Sciences Po. He is also active in the Nahdlatul Ulama movement since 2015, both in Indonesia and in its Belgian branch.
Raden Aria Wangsakara was a seventeenth century Sultan from Java, Muslim cleric and warrior who is generally credited with being the founder of Tangerang, a city in Indonesia which is now within the Jakarta metropolitan area. In November 2021 he was declared a National Hero of Indonesia by president Joko Widodo.