Tarmizi Taher
Encyclopedia
Tarmizi Taher, MD was Indonesia
's Minister of Religious Affairs from 1993 to 1998. After qualifying as a doctor
, he made his career in the Indonesian Navy
and retired with the rank of Rear Admiral
. He then served as General Secretary of the Department of Religious Affairs
for 5 years, before being appointed as Minister in 1993 . After leaving his ministerial position, Taher has held other public appointments, including Indonesian ambassador
to Norway
and Iceland
.He is currently serving as the elected chairman of Dewan Masjid Indonesia (Indonesian Mosque Council), an umbrella organization of local Mosque councils, the president of Az-zahra Islamic University in Jakarta
, and the president director of Center for Moderate Moslem (CMM), a non-governmental organization aiming at improving understanding and cooperation among islamic organizations. He was honored with GUSI Peace Prize from Philippines
for his engagement in religious affairs.
s in the navy. Shortly after that, he was promoted as head of Armed Forces Mental Up-building Center with the rank of rear admiral, overseeing all mental upbuilding activities in entire Indonesian military. He ended his military career when he was promoted to the post of General Secretary of the Department of Religious Affairs and later was appointed as a minister in the Cabinet
.
During his time as Minister of Religious Affairs, Taher implemented several initiatives especially related to managing the Indonesian Hajj
pilgrimage which dispatches close to 200,000 pilgrims yearly. Those initiatives included the introduction of several computer systems, including SISKOHAT (Integrated Hajj Coordination System), a computer network for handling all activitities related to Hajj. Similarly, he was responsible for the introduction of Dana Abadi Umat (DAU), a fund for helping Islam
ic education, and Dawah
in Indonesia. DAU, started in 1996 , and was funded through efficiencies in managing the organization of Indonesian pilgrims. From 1996 through 2004 , DAU has successfully collected more than $
70,000,000 and has spent a huge amount of money in helping Islamic education, dawa, and other islamic activities in Indonesia. Taher was also active in promoting understanding among different religions in Indonesia to avoid any religion-based conflict in the country and in bridging communication among religions in the world.
After leaving the cabinet, Taher was appointed as Indonesian ambassador to Norway and Iceland. He ended his service in Oslo
, Norway
in 2002. Currently, he is serving as the President of Az-zahra Islamic University in Jakarta and as the elected chairman of Dewan Masjid Indonesia (Indonesian Mosque Council). He also holds a position of President Director of Center for Moderate Muslim (CMM), an organisation that promotes understanding among various Muslim organisations. He was awarded Doctor honoris causa in Islamic Dawah from Jakarta Islamic State University
(UIN) for his involvement in dawa.
Taher is an active writer and has published various books on health
and islamic study. He is also active in campaign against AIDS
and Drug Abuse
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's Minister of Religious Affairs from 1993 to 1998. After qualifying as a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, he made his career in the Indonesian Navy
Military of Indonesia
The Indonesian National Armed Forces in 2009 comprises approximately 432,129 personnel including the Army , Navy including the Indonesian Marine Corps and the Air Force ....
and retired with the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. He then served as General Secretary of the Department of Religious Affairs
Islam in Indonesia
Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, which also has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim as of 2009....
for 5 years, before being appointed as Minister in 1993 . After leaving his ministerial position, Taher has held other public appointments, including Indonesian ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.He is currently serving as the elected chairman of Dewan Masjid Indonesia (Indonesian Mosque Council), an umbrella organization of local Mosque councils, the president of Az-zahra Islamic University in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, and the president director of Center for Moderate Moslem (CMM), a non-governmental organization aiming at improving understanding and cooperation among islamic organizations. He was honored with GUSI Peace Prize from Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for his engagement in religious affairs.
Biography
Upon graduating from one of the top medical schools in Indonesia, Airlangga University, he joined the navy and was assigned to various warships as medical officer. His path changed from medicine toward mental and religious affairs when he was appointed as the head of navy mental up-building agency, overseeing all chaplainChaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s in the navy. Shortly after that, he was promoted as head of Armed Forces Mental Up-building Center with the rank of rear admiral, overseeing all mental upbuilding activities in entire Indonesian military. He ended his military career when he was promoted to the post of General Secretary of the Department of Religious Affairs and later was appointed as a minister in the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
.
During his time as Minister of Religious Affairs, Taher implemented several initiatives especially related to managing the Indonesian Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage which dispatches close to 200,000 pilgrims yearly. Those initiatives included the introduction of several computer systems, including SISKOHAT (Integrated Hajj Coordination System), a computer network for handling all activitities related to Hajj. Similarly, he was responsible for the introduction of Dana Abadi Umat (DAU), a fund for helping Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic education, and Dawah
Dawah
Da‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
in Indonesia. DAU, started in 1996 , and was funded through efficiencies in managing the organization of Indonesian pilgrims. From 1996 through 2004 , DAU has successfully collected more than $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
70,000,000 and has spent a huge amount of money in helping Islamic education, dawa, and other islamic activities in Indonesia. Taher was also active in promoting understanding among different religions in Indonesia to avoid any religion-based conflict in the country and in bridging communication among religions in the world.
After leaving the cabinet, Taher was appointed as Indonesian ambassador to Norway and Iceland. He ended his service in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 2002. Currently, he is serving as the President of Az-zahra Islamic University in Jakarta and as the elected chairman of Dewan Masjid Indonesia (Indonesian Mosque Council). He also holds a position of President Director of Center for Moderate Muslim (CMM), an organisation that promotes understanding among various Muslim organisations. He was awarded Doctor honoris causa in Islamic Dawah from Jakarta Islamic State University
Jakarta Islamic State University
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta is an educational institution in Indonesia. It is also called Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and located in Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten, district in the southern Jakarta.-Campuses:UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta...
(UIN) for his involvement in dawa.
Taher is an active writer and has published various books on health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and islamic study. He is also active in campaign against AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and Drug Abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.