Abu Bakar Bashir

Profile of Abu Bakar Baasyir (Ba’ashir)

Name: Abu Bakar Ba’asyir bin Abu Bakar Abud, or Abu Bakar Bashir (in Western or English speaking media)
Other name: Ustadz Abu and Abdus Somad
Date of birth: 17 August 1938
Place of birth: Jombang, Jawa Timur (East Java), Indonesia
Religion: Islam / Sunni Muslim
Ethnicity: Arab origin.
Nationality: Indonesia
Occupation:

1. Founder and Director of Pondok Pesantren Islam Al Mu’min, Ngruki, Jawa Tengah (Central Java), Indonesia along with Abdullah Sungkar.
2. Leader of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI)
3. Leader of Jamaah Anshorut Tawhid (JAT)

Education:

1. Pondok Pesantren Gontor, Ponorogo, Jawa Timur (1959)
2. Fakultas Dakwah Universitas Al-Irsyad, Solo, Jawa Tengah (1963).

Organisation:

1. Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam (HMI) Solo chapter
2. Secretary at Pemuda Al-Irsyad Solo
3. Head of PII or Pemuda Islam Indonesia (1961)
4. Head of Lembaga Dakwah Mahasiswa Islam (LDMI)

Controversy:

1. 1983, Abu Bakar Ba’asyir was arrested along with Abdullah Sungkar. They were suspected as mobilising people to reject the unified state principal of Pancasila.
2. He was also suspected to be part of Hispran (Haji Ismail Pranoto) movement — one of DI/TII leader from Jawa Tengah (Central Java). In court, both Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar were convicted and jailed for 9 years.
3. 11 Februari 1985, when his case on court appeal, Bashir and Sungkar were under house arrest. That was the time when they escaped to Malaysia.
4. In 1993, according to US government, Bashir and Sungkar set up Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) organisation in Malaysia with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate extending over the Muslim areas of south-east Asia. Bashir succeeded Abdullah Sungkar as leader of JI on Sungkar’s death in 1999. An allegation Bashir denied.