Saifuddin Zuhri (1 October 1919 – March 25, 1986) was an Indonesian politician, journalist, educator and Muslim cleric who was the Minister of

Religious Affairs Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, tran ...

of Indonesia under President

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...

and Acting President

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

Early life

Zuhri was born in Kawedanan Sokaraja,

Banyumas Banyumas ( jv, ꦧꦚꦸꦩꦱ꧀, formerly spelt "Banjoemas") Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central adm ...

, then of

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

. His father Muhammad Zuhri came from religious farmers. His mother Siti Saudatun was the granddaughter of Asraruddin Kiai, an influential cleric of the time who ran a small boarding school in the area. Zuhri was brought up with a boarding-school education. He entered the youth movement during the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

. At age 19 he was elected leader of the

Ansor Youth Movement Ansor Youth Movement, often abbreviated as GP Ansor, is a non-profit Islamic youth organization based in Indonesia, affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic mass organization in the world. Founded on April 24, 1934, GP Ansor has ...

of Nahdlatul Ulama, South Central Java. At the same time, he was elected Consul of the Regional Madrasah Teachers Kedu in Nahdlatul Ulama. Zuhri became a Reuters news agency correspondent and worked for several newspapers and magazines.

Career

At the age of 35, Zuhri was the Secretary General of the Executive Board of the

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islam in Indonesia, Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitab ...

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the '' Daily Community Ambassador'', and a member of Parliament. President

made him a member of the Supreme Advisory Council at the age of 39, and then appointed him as Minister of Religion at the age of 43, replacing the resigning KH Wahib Wahab. During his leadership as Minister of Religion, Islamic higher education in Indonesia rapidly expanded, with the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) developing in nine provinces. Zuhri participated in the armed and political struggle for Indonesian independence. He help spread Islamic views, such as Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, the ideology of nationalism within the framework of an Islamic Indonesia. Zuhri was appointed Commander of the Division of Central Java Hezbollah and Regional Defense Council Member of Kedu, where he led Hezbollah paramilitary forces to come together under the leadership of Col. TKR. Sudirman, and various other people. Zuhri fought a battle at Ambarawa and received the "Honorary Signs

Star Guerilla A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ...

" award for his efforts from the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces on January 4, 1965. For his efforts, Zuhri was given land grants, which he donated to local scholars to build Islamic schools on.

Death and legacy

Zuhri wrote a book called ''Leaving From Boarding School'', which was finished on 10 September 1985, about six months before his death, February 25, 1986. ''Leaving From Boarding School'' was published in 1987. On October 3, 1989, Zuhri was posthumously awarded the Main Book category Adult Reading Humanities field from the Minister of Education and Culture. State Islamic Institute of Purwokerto elevated and renamed into his name and become Professor Kiai Haji Saifuddin Zuhri State Islamic University of Purwokerto (Indonesian: Universitas Islam Negeri Profesor Kiai Haji Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto) on 11 May 2021 by Presidential Decree No. 41/2021.

Honors

At the age of 45, Zuhri was inaugurated as an Extraordinary Professor in the field of Da'wah by IAIN Sunan Kalidjaga Yogyakarta.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuhri, Saifuddin Government ministers of Indonesia People from Banyumas Regency 1919 births 1986 deaths Javanese people Nahdlatul Ulama