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Indonesia’s pluralism icon Ahmad Syafii Maarif dies at 86
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Ahmad Syafii Maarif (center) attends a seminar in Jakarta in 2015. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
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hmad Syafii Maarif, an icon of pluralism and an intellectual force of nature for a generation of progressive Muslims in the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy, died on Friday at Muhammadiyah Hospital in Sleman, Yogyakarta, just four days shy of his 87th birthday.
Known affectionately as Buya, he was among the first generation of “neo-modernist” Muslims who helped shape the trajectory of Islam and democracy in Indonesia alongside other towering Muslim figures, such as Nurcholis “Cak Nur” Majid and Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who died in 2005 and 2009, respectively.
His passing, which comes at a time when the culturally diverse country is grappling with the rise of identity politics that thrives on and foments religious extremism, has created a void in the public discourse for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
“I feel a great loss. For me, he was a very supportive figure. He was also my best friend,” Catholic scholar and Jesuit priest Franz Magnis-Suseno told The Jakarta Post in a statement.
