Andi Rasdiyanah Amir

Andi Rasdiyanah Amir (14 February 1935 – 19 January 2023) was an Indonesian Islamic scholar and bureaucrat. Rasdiyanah was the rector of the Alauddin Islamic State Institute (now Alauddin Islamic State University) from 1985 to 1994. She was the first female to lead an Islamic higher education institution in Indonesia as well as the first female rector in the eastern part of Indonesia. At the end of her term as rector, Rasdiyanah was appointed by the minister of religious affairs as the director general for Islamic institutions. She was replaced in the position and continued teaching at the Alauddin Islamic State Institute until her death.

Early life and education Rasdiyanah was born on 8 September 1935 in Bulukumba, a regency in South Sulawesi. Her parents, Andi Paroddo and Andi Sure, were local aristocrats from the regency. Her father, Andi Paroddo, died while she was still an infant, and her education was mostly funded by her older brothers. Rasdiyanah began her primary education during the Japanese occupation. She was enrolled at a people's school (shōgakkō) in Barabba, a village in Bulukumba. She finished her elementary school in 1946.

After completing her education at the people's school, Rasdiyanah was sent to study at Muhammadiyah-owned madrasas in Bulukumba.

Muhyiddin's death made Rasdiyanah the front-runner in the election and the minister of religious affairs made plans to appoint her as Shihab's replacement. However, due to her being a woman, the South Sulawesi's regional government and the Indonesian Ulema Council expressed their disapproval. The governor of South Sulawesi, Andi Oddang, questioned her ability as a woman in handling possible student demonstrations. The disapproval was met with criticism from the chairman of Makassar's Muhammadiyah branch, who stated that women had already been leaders in South Sulawesi for ages. Murad then appointed Rasdiyanah as his deputy rector for student affairs. During her tenure, the government introduced a nine-year compulsory education program. Rasdiyanah tried to implement the compulsory education program in Islamic educational institutions such as madrasas and pesantren, After three years of service as director general, Rasdiyanah handed over her office to Abdul Malik Fadjar on 27 May 1996.

Upon her retirement from the department of religious affairs, Rasdiyanah continued to teach in the Alauddin Islamic State Institute. Previously, in 1995 Rasdiyanah became a professor in hadith studies at the university. She became the chairwoman of the institute's council of professors and the director for postgraduate studies in 1996.

Personal life and death Rasdiyanah was married to Amin Said, a lecturer in the Alauddin Islamic State University, on 14 April 1962. The couple has four daughters and a son.