First Indonesian Knighted the Title of Sir from the British Empire Dies

TheIndonesia.id - The first Indonesian to be knighted Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Prof Dr. Azyumardi Azra CBE, died at the age of 67. The chairman of the Press Council died at a hospital in Selangor, Malaysia, on Sunday, September 18, 2022.

The man who was born in West Sumatra was receiving treatment at the Serdang Hospital, Selangor, Malaysia, since Friday, September 16, afternoon. He breathed his last while receiving treatment at the hospital's coronary care unit (CCU) at 12.30 local time, last Sunday.

Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono said that based on the death certificate issued by the hospital, Prof. Azyumardi Azra died of "acute inferior myocardial infarction".

The former Chancellor of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic Institute, Jakarta, received an invitation from the Malaysian Islamic Youth Force (ABIM) to be a speaker at the International Islamic Cosmopolitan Conference which was held on Saturday, September 17. Apart from Indonesians, several other speakers came from Malaysia and Brunei. Darussalam. The conference was opened by Chairman Emeritus of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, paid tribute to Professor Azyumardi Azra's wife, Ipah Farihah, and their second son Firman El Amny Azra at Serdang Hospital, Selangor.

Besides the Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono and his wife, staff from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, various Indonesian and Malaysian communities such as the Head of the Special Branch of Muhammadiyah (PCIM) Malaysia, UIN Malaysia, the Malaysian Islamic Youth Force (ABIM), the Indonesian Islamic Association The Malaysian Indonesian Journalists Association (ISWAMI), the Malaysian Islamic Student National Association (PKPIM), the Riau Indonesian Journalists Association, and representatives of Garuda Indonesia attended the ceremony.

Anwar Ibrahim said that he and the deceased often worked together. He has known Azyumardi Azra for a long time.

"Critical and creative," Anwar told ANTARA at the Serdang Hospital, Selangor, Malaysia, Sunday night, telling his obituaries of Azyumardi Azra who was the Special Staff of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"The pattern of thinking is somewhat the same, moderate and Islamic. In terms of government, a clean government is what we are fighting for,” said Anwar.

He said not only Indonesia which has lost but Malaysia also lost a figure, a scholar, who was greatly admired and had a great contribution to the current moderate Islam school.