Bekas president Indonesia, Gus Dur, meninggal

From Allah we came. Unto Him will be our return.
He will be buried in Jombang, East Java on the last day of 2009.

He was the former head of Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation, Nahdhlatul Ulama (see PICTURE of NU's logo).
He was founder of Islam-leaning political party, Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa or Pay Kah Bey (PKB), which is today part of the government coalition.

After Suharto's fall, he is credited with giving more rights to minorities such as allowing the Chinese dragon dance.
And he was always opposed to turning Indonesia - an archipelago of 17,000 islands, 5,000 of them occupied by humans - into an Islamic state as interpreted by people these days.
Imagine the chief or former chief of a Malaysian Islamic-based party or organisation - PAS or Abim - saying this openly.
Kena keroyok, beb! Kit Siang will be so shocked/syiok, he will call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

This was Gus Dur said:
"Negara kita bukan milik satu orang atau sekelompok orang, tapi milik bersama, karena itu NU sejak Muktamar di Banjarmasin pada tahun 1935 sudah menegaskan bahwa mendirikan negara Islam itu tidak wajib."


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From tempointeraktif.com

Nama:
Abdurrahaman Wahid

Tempat Tgl. Lahir:
Denanyar, Jombang, 4 Agustus 1940

Orang Tua:
Wahid Hasyim (Ayah), Solechah (Ibu)

Istri:
Sinta Nuriyah

Anak-anak:
Alisa Qotrunada
Zanuba Arifah
Anisa Hayatunufus
Inayah Wulandari

Pendidikan:
Pesantren Tambak Beras, Jombang (1959-1963)
Departemen Studi Islam dan Arab Tingkat Tinggi, Universitas Al-Azhar, Kairo, Mesir (1964-1966)
Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Baghdad (1966-1970)

Karir:
Pengajar dan Dekan Fakultas Ushuludin, Universitas Hasyim Anshari
Ketua Balai Seni Jakarta (1983-1985)
Pendiri dan pengasuh pesantren Ciganjur (1984-sekarang)
Ketua Umum PBNU (1984-1999)
Ketua Forum Demokrasi (1990)
Ketua Konferensi Agama dan Perdamaian Sedunia (1994)
Anggota MPR (1999)
Presiden RI (20 Oktober 1999-24 Juli 2001)
Ketua Dewan Syuro PKB