Hatta and Amien

EVERY Sunday in 1978, Hatta Rajasa would make time to study from Muhammad Imaduddin Abdulrahim at the Salman Mosque at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). The petroleum engineering student was diligent in seeking religious and political knowledge from his mentor, Bang Imad, as Imaduddin is known.

Young Hatta did not pursue only academic studies on campus. He also plunged himself into activism. Along with his friends, he shouted slogans in protest of Suharto's reelection as president. At the Salman Mosque, he joined the regeneration program of Mujahid Dakwa Training (an Islamic preaching training for Muslim activists) championed by the late Imaduddin. "He was his mentor, both for religion and political knowledge," said Nasruddin Achmad Madjid, former legislator from Hatta's National Mandate Party (PAN).

July 1, 2014