The Rebel Imam from Malangbong
He came from a nominal Muslim family but Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo ended as the leader of the rebellious Darul Islam. Almost 50 years after his death, at the hands of a firing squad, his vision and his ideal of an Islamic state still resonate among some Muslims in this country.
August 18, 2010
ALTHOUGH Kartosoewirjo, born in Cepu, Central Java on January 7, 1907, was known as an Islamic leader, he was not excessively "Islamic." His father was a mantri candu or head of an opium control division- a somewhat high rank for a "native Indonesian" during the Dutch colonial era. Clearly, candu and Islam seemed, even at that time, quite incongruous.
The Kartosoewirjo family was indeed among the feudal upper-class, and they were not strict adherents
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