Musdah Mulia

Siti Musdah Mulia (born 1958) is an Indonesian women's rights activist and professor of religion. She was the first woman appointed as a research professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and is currently a lecturer of Islamic political thought at the School of Graduate Studies at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. Since 2007, Musdah has served as chairperson of the NGO Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, which aims to promote interfaith dialogue in Indonesia. She also served as director of the Megawati Institute, a think-tank established by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Early life Musdah was born in Bone, South Sulawesi, in 1958, to a conservative Muslim family.

Career In 1997, Musdah became the first woman to receive a PhD in Islamic thought from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University. She also has expressed the view that Muslim women should be permitted to interpret Islamic teachings themselves and become ulama.

Accolades Musdah received the 2007 International Women of Courage Award from the United States government. In 2008, she received the Yap Thiam Hien Human Rights Award for her work on promoting dialogue and inclusiveness in Islam.