MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – Several Muhammadiyah figures have recently been appointed to important positions in the newly established Red and White Cabinet, led by President Prabowo Subianto. Among them, Abdul Mu’ti was inaugurated as the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education on October 21 at the State Palace in Jakarta.
Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu’ti, M.Ed. is currently serving as the Secretary-General of Muhammadiyah for the 2015-2027 term. He was born on September 2, 1968, in Kudus, where he completed his early education. He attended Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Manafiul Ulum, graduating in 1980, followed by Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri in 1983 and Madrasah Aliyah Negeri Purwodadi Filial in 1986. Mu’ti then earned his bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Tarbiyah at IAIN Walisongo Semarang in 1991. His academic journey continued with a Master’s degree from the School of Education at Flinders University in Australia in 1997. Additionally, he completed a short course on Governance and Shariah at the University of Birmingham in 2005 and received his doctorate from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in 2008. Since 1993, Mu’ti has been a lecturer at IAIN Walisongo and has served as an advisor at the British Council in London since 2006.
His involvement with Muhammadiyah began in 1994, and he has held various leadership positions within the organization. Mu’ti has served as the Secretary-General of Muhammadiyah’s Central Leadership since 2015, overseeing the organization’s educational, social, and religious activities.
Mu’ti’s involvement with Muhammadiyah began in 1994, and he has held various leadership positions within the organization. He has served as the Secretary-General of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah since 2015. His membership number is 750.178, and his journey within the organization began in 1987 when he joined the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) at IAIN Walisongo. He served as the Chairperson of the IMM of Semarang from 1991 to 1992 and later as the Chairperson of the IMM Provincial Board of Central Java from 1993 to 1994.
After returning from Australia, Mu’ti was elected Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah Youth Association (Pemuda Muhammadiyah) Provincial Board of Central Java from 1998 to 2002. His leadership roles continued as he served as Secretary of the Muhammadiyah Provincial Board of Central Java from 2000 to 2002 and then as President of the Provincial Board from 2002 to 2006. His career within Muhammadiyah advanced further when he was appointed Secretary of the Muhammadiyah Council for Primary and Secondary Education from 2005 to 2010. He was later elected Secretary of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah from 2010 to 2015.
During the 47th Muhammadiyah Congress (Muktamar) in 2015, Mu’ti was named Secretary-General of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah for the 2015-2020 term, a position he continued to hold through the 48th Congress in Surakarta, extending his service until 2022-2027.
In addition, Mu’ti serves as the Executive Director of the Centre for Dialogue and Cooperation among Civilizations (CDCC). He has been an advisor to the British Council since 2005 and made history as the first Asian to hold the director position at CDCC. He also served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) from 2005 to 2010 and was actively involved in the Central Religious Harmony Forum. He also became the Vice Secretary of the Counter-Terrorism Team.
In 2007, Mu’ti represented the Indonesian government in a peace campaign in the United States alongside various religious leaders. That same year, he became a member of the Indonesia-United Kingdom Islamic Advisory Group (IUIAG), established by the governments of Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
Mu’ti is also an alumnus of the first Indonesia-Australia Young Muslim Exchange Program (AIMEP), launched in 2002, and he participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program in the United States in 2005. In recognition of his contributions to international relations and interfaith dialogue, he received the Australian Alumni Award for the Inspiration Award in 2008.
Abdul Mu’ti has authored several influential publications, including Deformalisasi Islam: Moderasi Beragama di Tengah Pluralitas (2004), Kristen Muhammadiyah: Konvergensi Muslim dan Kristen Dalam Pendidikan (2009), and Inkulturasi Islam: Menyemai Keadilan, Persaudaraan dan Emansipasi Kemanusiaan (2009). He also co-edited Islam in Indonesia: A to Z Basic Reference with Umar Hadi in 2009.
His academic accomplishments were further recognized when he was inaugurated as a Professor of Islamic Education at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta on September 2, 2020.
Reference:
MPI PP Muhammadiyah. (2022). Ensiklopedi Muhammadiyah 2.0: Membangun Indonesia berkemajuan. Gramasurya.
