Ma'ruf Amin Facts for Kids

In this Indonesian name, there is no family name. The name Amin is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Ma'ruf.

Quick facts for kids Ma'ruf Amin
Official portrait, 2019

13th Vice President of Indonesia
In office 20 October 2019 – 20 October 2024
President	Joko Widodo
Preceded by	Jusuf Kalla
Succeeded by	Gibran Rakabuming Raka
Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council
In office 27 August 2015 – 27 November 2020 Inactive from 20 October 2019
Preceded by	Din Syamsuddin
Succeeded by	Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi (acting) Yunahar Ilyas (acting) Miftachul Achyar
Supreme Leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama
In office 6 August 2015 – 22 September 2018
Preceded by	Mustofa Bisri
Succeeded by	Miftachul Achyar
Groups represented in the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives
1971–1973	Groups of Nahdlatul Ulama
1973–1982	United Development Party
Groups represented in House of Representatives
1997–1998	United Development Party
1998–2004	National Awakening Party
Other government roles
2007–2014	Member of Presidential Advisory Council
2017–2019	Member of BPIP Steering Committee

Personal details
Born	Ma'ruf al-Kharki (1943-03-11) 11 March 1943 (age 82) Tangerang, Japanese-occupied East Indies
Political party	PKB (1998–2006, 2024–present)
Other political affiliations	PPP (1973–1998) PKNU (2006–2011) Independent (2011–2024)
Spouses	Siti Churiyah (m. 1964; died 2013) Wury Estu Handayani (m. 2014)
Children	9 children
Education	Tebuireng Islamic Boarding School [id]
Alma mater	Bogor Ibn Khaldun University [id] Jakarta Ibn Khaldun University [id] Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University Malang (honorary, 2017)
Occupation	Politician cleric lecturer
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Ma'ruf Amin (born 11 March 1943) is an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader. He served as the 13th vice president of Indonesia from 2019 to 2024. When he was sworn into office, he was almost 77 years old. This made him the oldest vice president in Indonesia's history.

Before becoming vice president, he was the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). This is the top group of Islamic scholars in Indonesia. On 9 August 2018, President Joko Widodo chose Ma'ruf to be his partner in the 2019 presidential election. After accepting, Ma'ruf stepped down as the Supreme Leader of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in the world.

Early Life and Education
Career in Religion and Politics
Becoming Vice President
Personal Life
Awards and Honors
See also

Early Life and Education

Official portrait of Ma'ruf Amin as a member of the People's Representative Council in 1999.

Ma'ruf Amin was born in Tangerang, Indonesia, during the Japanese occupation. His parents were Mohamad Amin and Maimunah. He went to primary school in Kresek.

He continued his studies at Pesantren Tebuireng in East Java. A pesantren is an Islamic boarding school. This school was very important because it was started by Hasyim Asy'ari, the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Later, Ma'ruf earned a university degree in Islamic philosophy from Ibnu Khaldun University in Bogor.

Career in Religion and Politics

After college, Ma'ruf began his career as a religious teacher in Jakarta. At that time, the NU was also a political party. In 1971, Ma'ruf was elected to Indonesia's parliament, called the People's Representative Council (DPR).

From 1977 to 1982, he was a member of the Jakarta City Council. After his term ended, he focused on teaching and community work. In 1989, he became a senior leader in the NU. He worked with Abdurrahman Wahid, who later became the president of Indonesia.

When Suharto's presidency ended in 1998, Ma'ruf became an advisor to Wahid's political party. He advised Wahid when he was president from 1999 to 2001. Ma'ruf served in the national parliament again from 1999 to 2004.

After 2004, he returned to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). He also served as an advisor to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from 2007 to 2014. In 2015, Ma'ruf was elected to the highest position in the NU, the rais 'aam syuriah or Supreme Leader. A few weeks later, he was also elected as the chairman of the MUI.

Becoming Vice President

Ma'ruf (center) with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (right) in 2018.

In 2018, President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, announced he would run for a second term. He needed a new vice-presidential candidate. Many people thought he would choose someone else, like former minister Mahfud MD.

However, on 9 August 2018, Jokowi made a surprise announcement. He chose Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate. Jokowi said he chose Ma'ruf because of his deep experience in government and religious matters.

On 21 May 2019, the election commission announced that Jokowi and Ma'ruf had won. They received 55.5 percent of the vote. Ma'ruf was sworn in as vice president on 20 October 2019. During his time in office, he focused on issues like the halal industry, which follows Islamic principles. He also worked on improving children's health and religious harmony.

Personal Life

Ma'ruf Amin with his first wife, Siti Churiyah.

Ma'ruf's first wife, Siti Churiyah, passed away in 2013. They were married for 49 years and had nine children. In 2014, Ma'ruf married Wury Estu Handayani in a private ceremony in Central Jakarta.

Ma'ruf is a fan of football. He used to support Manchester United. But in 2019, he started supporting their rival, Liverpool, after Manchester United's performance declined.