Mujahid Yusof Rawa

Mujahid Yusof Rawa
مجاهد يوسف
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
(Religious Affairs)
In office
2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
MonarchsMuhammad V
(2018–2019)
Abdullah
(2019–2020)
Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
DeputyFuziah Salleh
Preceded byJamil Khir Baharom
Succeeded byZulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri
ConstituencyParit Buntar
Senator
Elected by the
Perak State Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
25 May 2023
Serving with Shamsuddin Abdul Ghafar
MonarchsAbdullah
(2023–2024)
Ibrahim Ismail
(since 2024)
Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim
Preceded byIskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid
2nd Deputy President of the National Trust Party
Assumed office
24 December 2023
PresidentMohamad Sabu
Preceded bySalahuddin Ayub
Vice President of the National Trust Party
In office
5 September 2021 – 24 December 2023
PresidentMohamad Sabu
State Chairman of
Pakatan Harapan of Perak
Assumed office
1 June 2021
PresidentWan Azizah Wan Ismail
National ChairmanAnwar Ibrahim
Preceded byAhmad Faizal Azumu
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Parit Buntar
In office
8 March 2008 – 19 November 2022
Preceded byAbdul Hamid Zainal Abidin
(BNUMNO)
Succeeded byMohd Misbahul Munir Masduki
(PNPAS)
Majority7,551 (2008)
8,476 (2013)
3,098 (2018)
Faction represented in Dewan Negara
2023–Pakatan Harapan
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat
2008–2015Malaysian Islamic Party
2015–2018National Trust Party
2018–2022Pakatan Harapan
Personal details
Born
Mujahid bin Yusof

(1964-10-25) 25 October 1964 (age 60)
Penang, Malaysia
CitizenshipMalaysian
Political partyMalaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
(–2015)
National Trust Party (AMANAH)
(since 2015)
Other political
affiliations
Barisan Alternatif (BA)
(1999–2004)
Pakatan Rakyat (PR)
(2008–2015)
Pakatan Harapan (PH)
(since 2015)
SpouseZuraida Husin
ParentYusof Rawa (father)
Alma materUniversity of Malaya
University Putra Malaysia
Al-Azhar University
OccupationPolitician
Mujahid Yusof Rawa on Facebook
Mujahid Yusof Rawa on Parliament of Malaysia

Mujahid bin Yusof Rawa (Jawi: مجاهد بن يوسف; born 25 October 1964), is a Malaysian politician who has served as Senator since May 2023. He served as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Religious Affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 as well as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Parit Buntar from March 2008 to November 2022. He is a member of the National Trust Party (AMANAH), a component party of the PH coalition and was a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), a former component party of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition. He has also served as the 2nd Deputy President of AMANAH since December 2023 and State Chairman of PH of Perak since June 2021.

Mujahid is the son of former president of PAS, Yusof Rawa and has a PhD in political science.[1] Rawa being a progressive party leader has spoken of transforming PAS, an Islamic party, into a multi-racial party.[2] But he together with a few other progressive leaders referred to as G18 was ousted at the 2015 PAS Muktamar and has launched Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB)[3] that founded the new AMANAH party later in 2015.

Mujahid made his debut contesting the parliamentary seat of Jasin, Malacca in the 1999 general election but lost. In the 2004 general election he stood but was defeated for the Tasek Gelugor constituency in Penang.[4]

Mujahid was elected to Parliament in the 2008 general election, winning the seat of Parit Buntar in Perak.[5] During the 2013 general election, he won and was reelected as the candidate of PAS of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition coalition.[6] In 2018 general election, he retained the seat as AMANAH candidate with Pakatan Harapan coalition. Subsequently, on 2 July 2018, he was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Religious Affairs.

In 2019, he was criticised by Western media for his support for Xinjiang anti-extremism policies. On 26 June 2019, on a 7-day visit to Xinjiang as Malaysia's Religious Affairs Minister, he confirmed in a Facebook post that the camps were indeed vocational and training institutions.[7] The next day, on 27 June, he made a speech at the Beijing Foreign Studies University in which he said "false news in China about Muslims being oppressed could trigger a wave of sympathy to the oppressed and affect relationships".[8]

  1. ^ "Game for laughs". The Star (Malaysia). 12 May 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  2. ^ Yoong, Sean (17 November 2008). "Malaysian Islamic party to open up to non-Muslims". Associated Press, through Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  3. ^ Jennifer Gomez (13 July 2015). "'Purged' PAS leaders launch splinter movement". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Malaysia Decides 2008 (2004 results)". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Malaysia Decides 2008". The Star (Malaysia). Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Y.B. Dr" (in Malay). Parliament of Malaysia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Malaysian minister criticised over visit to Uygur camp in China". 2 July 2019.
  8. ^ https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/06/28/in-beijing-speech-mujahid-speaks-of-false-news-on-xinjiang/ [bare URL]