Abdullah Sungkar

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Abdullah Sungkar (1937 - November 1999) founded and led Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic terrorist and separatist organization. He was of Hadhrami Arab descent.^[1]^[2]^[3]

[edit] Biography

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Sheikh Abdullah Sungkar was born in Surakarta in 1937.

After finishing high school in Solo, he did not continue with further education due to the economic situation of his family. This did not deter him, however, from learning as much as he could including Arabic and English.

He worked as a Da'i (preacher) giving lectures until December 1971 . Together with some friends, he opened an Islamic Boarding School, Al-Mu'min, in Ngruki-solo, which still exists today.

In 1969 He established Radio Da'wah Islamiyyah Surakarta. By 1975 it was banned from going on air. Many times he entered and left jail and on the 19th of November 1978 he entered jail for 3 1/2 Years on the grounds of trying to establish the Islamic State of Indonesia whilst denigrating the nation based on Pancasila.

During his 3 1/2 years in jail, he memorised Al-Qur'an. After his release in April 1982 and whilst awaiting a further trial, he escaped Indonesia together with his life long friend, Sheikh Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

He lived in exile unable to return to Indonesia in safety until the resignation of President Suharto. He then returned to Indonesia and continued to teach Islam. After a midday lecture given on Saturday the 23rd of October, 1999 at a location in Bogor, West Java, he died peacefully in his sleep.