Sumanto Al Qurtuby: The Moderate Scholar
Sumanto Al Qurtuby is a professor of anthropology at the King Fahd University in Saudi Arabia. The Islamic studies scholar has a penchant for criticizing Indonesia’s hardline movement on social media.
September 26, 2017
Sumanto Al Qurtuby smiled patiently as an enthusiastic crowd took turns snapping photos of him. He had just finished speaking at a discussion forum titled Radicalism in the Middle East and Its Impact on Indonesia held in July in Jakarta.
Several participants wanted a brief chat with the anthropologist after the event. Although he no longer lives in the country, Sumanto is well-known among Indonesia’s moderate Muslims for his articles and his c
...