Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki
Asyraf Wajdi bin Dusuki (born 1976) is a Malaysian politician currently serving as the Youth Chief of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the biggest political party in the current Government since June 2018. He was a Malaysian senator as well as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia in charge of Islamic affairs during the premiership of Najib Razak. He lost both parliamentary elections contested under UMNO's banner.
Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki | |
|---|---|
 Dusuki at his 2015 appointment ceremony. | |
| Youth Chief of the United Malays National Organisation | |
| Assumed office 25 June 2018 | |
| President | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi |
| Deputy | Shahril Sufian Hamdan |
| Preceded by | Khairy Jamaluddin |
| Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia Islamic Affairs | |
| In office 29 July 2015 – 10 May 2018 | |
| Monarch | Abdul Halim Muhammad V |
| Prime Minister | Najib Razak |
| Minister | Jamil Khir Baharom |
| Preceded by | Mashitah Ibrahim (2009–2013) |
| Succeeded by | Fuziah Salleh |
| Constituency | Senator |
| President of the Islamic Da'wah Foundation of Malaysia | |
| In office 3 June 2013 – 28 July 2015 | |
| Minister | Jamil Khir Baharom |
| Deputy | Yusri Mohamad |
| Preceded by | Aziz Jamaludin Md Tahir |
| Succeeded by | Yusri Mohamad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Asyraf Wajdi bin Dusuki May 14, 1976 Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) Perikatan Nasional (PN) Muafakat Nasional (MN) |
| Spouse(s) | Nurdianawati Irwani Abdullah |
| Residence | Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |
| Alma mater | International Islamic University Malaysia Loughborough University |
| Known for | Islamic banking and finance |
Education
Prior to entering International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Asyraf was a student of Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Labu. In 2000, he graduated from IIUM with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He, then, furthered his studies in Loughborough University, where he obtain two degrees: Master of Science with Distinction (Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance), and Doctor of Philosophy (Islamic Banking and Finance).[1]
Career
Prior to taking political office, he served IIUM as a lecturer and, then, an assistant professor of its Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences. He also served the International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance as Head of Research Affairs, and International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance as an associate professor.
On 3 June 2013, Prime Minister Najib Razak appointed him as the President of Islamic Da'wah Foundation of Malaysia (YADIM).[2]
On 26 May 2014, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong admitted him to the Parliament as a senator,[3] which paved the way for Najib to promote him as a Deputy Federal Minister in charge of Islamic affairs in July 2015. As such, he takes charge of YADIM, Islamic Economic Development Foundation of Malaysia (YaPEIM), Tabung Haji, TV Alhijrah, Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM) and Department of Waqf, Zakat and Hajj (JAWHAR).
When a picture from a gathering of the Atheist Republic Consulate of Kuala Lumpur was posted on Atheist Republic's Facebook page in August 2017, Asyraf ordered an inquiry into whether anyone in the picture had apostatised from Islam or had 'spread atheism' to any Muslims present, both of which are illegal in Malaysia.[4][5]
He has openly expressed his extreme views against atheism---in November 2017, Asyraf stated that atheism was 'unconstitutional' and even suggested it is an offence under the Sedition Act. However, he reported that Facebook had rejected a joint government and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission demand to shut down Atheist Republic's page and similar atheist pages, because the pages did not violate any of the company's community standards.[6]
Family
Asyraf is the third son of Dusuki Ahmad, who was once President of YADIM, and Nik Nooraini Nik Yahya. He is married with Nurdianawati Irwani Abdullah.
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Barisan Nasional | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | P19 Tumpat, Kelantan. | Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (UMNO) | 27,337 | 41.89% | Kamarudin Jaffar (PAS) | 36,714 | 56.26% | 65,254 | 9,377 | 81.49% | ||
| 2018 | P28 Pasir Puteh, Kelantan | Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (UMNO) | 30,947 | 45.41% | Nik Zawawi Salleh (PAS) | 32,307 | 47.41% | 68,150 | 1,360 | 81.66% | ||
| Kamarudin Mohd Noor (PPBM) | 4,896 | 7.18% | ||||||||||
Honour
References
- "Profil". www.asyrafwajdi.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- "Dr. Asyraf Wajdi terajui Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia". Utusan Malaysia. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- "Ahli Parlimen". www.parlimen.gov.my. Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- Wouter van Cleef (7 August 2017). "In Maleisië geldt: gij zult geen atheïst zijn". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith (8 August 2017). "Malaysian atheist group under investigation over alleged Muslim apostate members". The Independent. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- "Atheism is unconstitutional, says Malaysian deputy minister". Today Online. Mediacorp. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2018. Results only available from the 2004 election.
- "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
- "199 receive Pahang state awards". Bernama. The Malay Mail. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2020.