Felix Siauw

Felix Yanwar Siauw (traditional Chinese: 蕭正國; simplified Chinese: 萧正国; pinyin: Xiāo Zhèng Guó, born January 31, 1984) is a Chinese-Indonesian Islamic cleric (ustad), preacher, author and da'i, known for his affiliation with the Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), and his hard-line puritanical position on Islamic interpretations.[1][2]

In this Chinese name, the family name is (蕭) Siauw.
Felix Yanwar Siauw
Born
Felix Yanwar Siauw

(1984-01-31) January 31, 1984
Palembang, South Sumatera
NationalityIndonesia
Occupationauthor, da'i
Known fordawah
Websitefelixsiauw.com
Felix Siauw
Traditional Chinese蕭正國
Simplified Chinese萧正国

Early life

Siauw was born and grew up in a Catholic environment, however he became a lapsed Catholic before he converted to Islam. He started to recognize Islam in 2002, while still studying at the Bogor Agricultural University, and converted to Islam during his college days after meeting an activist of HTI.[3] Siauw married in 2006 and currently has four children.

Career

Siauw is a popular Islamic preacher with the combined followings on his Twitter and Instagram accounts over 3.2 million people.[1] He is also an author whose works mostly raise the topics and perspectives associated with HTI.[4] Perspectives of this group had been criticized several times for inaccurate depiction of history.[5] In June 2017, he criticized the government decision to disband HTI as weakening Islam.[1]

Controversy

In 2015, Siauw declared that selfie is a shameless and unpure act,[6] which evoked widespread national condemnation.[7][8] In May 2017, the university event planned for featuring Siauw in East Java was shut down by the police presence, acting on the urges by the mainstream Muslims and nationalists.[2]

References
  1. From Indonesian village to ISIS siege chief. The Australian. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  2. Indonesian government acts to ban radical group. The Straits Times. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  3. Masuk-Islam. 28 Maret 2013. Kisah Felix Siauw Masuk Islam.
  4. Daftar Buku. 27 November 2013. Daftar Buku Felix Siauw.
  5. Koran Tempo. 18 April 2015. Yang Terlupakan Dalam Khalifah.
  6. Forget the Pokemon ban, most fatwas are serious. The National. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  7. Indonesian Women Fight Back At Felix Siauw’s Islamic Selfie Ban With #Selfie4Siauw. Huffingtonpost. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  8. Indonesian Cleric Calls Selfies A Sin. Muslim Youth Respond With More Selfies. Huffingtonpost. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
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