Jafar Umar Thalib facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jafar Umar Thalib
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| Born | December 29, 1961 Malang, Indonesia
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| Died | August 25, 2019 (aged 57) Jakarta, Indonesia
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| Resting place | Yogyakarta |
| Occupation | Islamic cleric |
| Known for | Laskar Jihad Islamic organization |
| Spouse(s) | Venia Said Fuhaid |
| Children | 9 |
Jafar Umar Thalib (born December 29, 1961 – died August 25, 2019) was an Indonesian Islamic leader. He was known for leading Laskar Jihad, a religious group that was active during a time of conflict in the Maluku Islands.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Jafar Umar Thalib's family came from Yemen. His grandfather, Abdullah bin Amir bin Thalib, was a respected religious scholar in Yemen in the mid-1800s. Jafar's grandfather traveled to different Asian countries and eventually settled in Madura, Indonesia. There, he married the daughter of a village leader.
Their son, Umar Thalib, became Jafar's father. Umar Thalib was a teacher at the Al-Irshad Al-Islamiya school, which was known for being very strict. Jafar was born on December 29, 1961, in Malang City, East Java. He was the youngest child of Umar Thalib and Badriyah Saleh.
Education and Religious Studies
As a child, Jafar studied at the PERSIS Islamic boarding school in Bangil and also at the Al-Irshad Al-Islamiya school.
In 1983, he became a student at LIPIA, which is an Islamic and Arabic college in Jakarta. This college is a branch of a larger university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After some disagreements with a teacher, he left LIPIA.
With help from the college director, Jafar continued his studies in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1986. He received a scholarship from the Saudi government. However, after one year, he had another disagreement with a lecturer and left before finishing his studies in 1987.
Jafar later studied the teachings of the Salafi movement from different religious scholars. Around 1990, he learned from Jamilurrahman al-Salafi al-Afghani in Kunar Province, near the Pakistan border. From 1991 to 1993, Jafar studied under another Salafi cleric, Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i, in Dammaj, Yemen. He also learned from other well-known Salafi scholars like Nasir al-Albani and ibn Baz.
Activities and Leadership
In 1987, Jafar joined the Mujahideen in Afghanistan during their war against the Soviet Union. He spent two years fighting and studying there. During this time, he met Osama bin Laden in Peshawar.
Even though Jafar followed a strict religious path, he strongly disagreed with Osama bin Laden's ideas of violence and terrorism. He believed that Al-Qaeda was a terrorist group and did not support their actions.
Jafar returned to Indonesia around 1989 and taught at the Al-Irshad Al-Islamiya boarding school in Salatiga. After returning from Yemen in 1993, he started his own boarding school called Ihya Sunnah in Sleman, Yogyakarta. This school focused on preserving the traditions of the Prophet.
In 1999, Jafar founded a group called Forum Komunikasi Ahlussunnah Wal Jama’ah (FKAWJ), which means "Communication Forum of Ahlul Sunnah Wal Jamaah." This group aimed to promote certain political and religious ideas. For example, they believed that women should not hold high political power, based on their religious views.
On January 30, 2000, Jafar announced the creation of Laskar Jihad. This was a group formed by FKAWJ to help protect Muslim communities in Maluku during a conflict there. The group recruited members who wanted to take part in this effort. Laskar Jihad focused on defending Muslims from attacks and did not aim to start wars or rebel against the government.
Jafar was arrested on May 4, 2002, in Surabaya. In October 2002, Laskar Jihad was officially dissolved by its leaders. Jafar initially disagreed with this decision because he was facing legal issues at the time. However, he later announced the group's dissolution. He was eventually found not guilty of the charges against him on January 30, 2003.
Religious Views
Jafar Umar Thalib openly stated that he followed the Wahabi school of thought, which is a branch of Salafi Islam.
Like many Wahabists, Jafar strongly disagreed with Shia Muslims. In June 2013, he said he would stand against Indonesian Shia Muslims if they tried to intimidate a Sunni community in Bekasi.
Death
After being released from prison for 28 days, Jafar Umar Thalib was admitted to the Harapan Kita National Heart Center Hospital in Jakarta because of heart disease. He passed away on Sunday, August 25, 2019, after being treated for five days.
His body was held at Masjid Al-Fatah in Kampung Melayu before being flown to Yogyakarta. He was buried the next day in Degolan, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. Many important figures in Indonesia, including Police General Muhammad Tito Karnavian, sent their condolences.
See also
- Arab Indonesian
- Laskar Jihad
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