view: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nik_Abdul_Aziz_Nik_Mat
Dato' Bentara Setia Haji Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat (born 1931 in Pulau Melaka, Kelantan) is a Malaysian politician, a Muslim ulama and currently the Menteri Besar of the state of Kelantan. He is the Mursyidul Am or spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).
Nik Abdul Aziz was born in 1931 to a single father (Tok Kura) who was an aspiring blacksmith in his hometown of Pulau Melaka, being the second eldest of five siblings.[1] His Islamic studies began in pondok schools in Kelantan and Terengganu.[2] He went on to study at Darul Uloom Deobandin Uttar Pradesh, India for five years. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Studies and Master of Arts in Islamic jurisprudence from Al-Azhar University, Egypt. During his university studies, he was one of the witnesses and a civilian to have lived in the heat of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.[3]
Having returned from Egypt, Nik Aziz began as a teacher at various religious schools in Kelantan, hence his popular nickname "Tok Guru."[2] He is able to converse in Arabic, English, Tamil and Urdu in addition to his native Malay language.[2]
Nik Aziz joined PAS in 1967. He contested and won the Kelantan Hilir parliamentary seat by-election in that same year, and held the seat (later renamed Pengkalan Chepa) until 1986.[2] In 1982, he was part of a movement by young members to bring change to the party leadership. PAS had lost the Kelantan state elections in 1978 and, as PAS state commissioner, Nik Aziz began to question president Asri Muda's leadership. Finally, in the PAS Muktamar (General Assembly) that year, Asri was forced to resign.[3]
After stepping aside from federal politics, Nik Aziz won a seat in the Kelantan State Assembly in the 1986 general elections. In 1990, PAS managed to wrest control of Kelantan back from Barisan Nasional. In his capacity as party leader in the state, Nik Aziz became Menteri Besar of Kelantan.[2] He succeeded Yusof Rawa as spiritual leader of PAS in 1991.
His administration in Kelantan frequently clashed on the role of Islam in Malaysia with the former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir. In contrast with the racially-exclusive ruling party UMNO, he openly rejects communal politics.[4]
Nik Aziz has been known to command support from non-Muslims in Malaysia and has played a leading role during PAS' increase in popularity among non-Muslims.[5][6][7]
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