Mohammad Natsir

Mohammad Natsir
Portrait of Natsir, c. 1954
5th Prime Minister of Indonesia
In office 6 September 1950 – 27 April 1951
President	Sukarno
Deputy	Hamengkubuwono IX
Preceded by	Abdul Halim
Succeeded by	Soekiman Wirjosandjojo
2nd Minister of Information
In office 29 January 1948 – 4 August 1949
Prime Minister	Mohammad Hatta
Preceded by	Sjahbudin Latif
Succeeded by	Sjafruddin Prawiranegara
In office 12 March 1946 – 26 June 1947
Prime Minister	Sutan Sjahrir
Preceded by	Amir Sjarifuddin
Succeeded by	Setiadi Reksoprodjo
Personal details
Born	Mohammad Natsir (1908-07-17)17 July 1908 Jembatan Berukir village, Alahan Pandjang, Solok, Dutch East Indies
Died	6 February 1993(1993-02-06) (aged 84) Jakarta, Indonesia
Political party	Masyumi Party
Spouse	Nurnahar ​ ​ (m. 1934; died 1991)​
Children	6
Education	Algemene Middelbare School (AMS)
Occupation	Politician scholar
Awards	National Hero of Indonesia

Mohammad Natsir (17 July 1908 – 6 February 1993)^[1] was an Islamic scholar and politician. He was Indonesia's fifth prime minister.

After moving to Bandung from his hometown Solok, West Sumatra for senior high school, Natsir studied Islamic doctrine extensively. His first articles were published in 1929, and during the 1930s he wrote for several Islamic-themed papers. He entered politics in the mid-1930s, rising through the ranks of Islamic parties. On 5 September 1950, he was chosen as prime minister, a term which he served until 26 April 1951. After his term as prime minister, he became increasingly vocal about Islam's role in Indonesia and was eventually arrested for doing so. Released in 1966 after the New Order government took power, Natsir continued to be critical of the government, eventually leading to him being banned from traveling. He died in his home in Jakarta on 6 February 1993.

Natsir wrote extensively on Islam, totaling 45 books and hundreds of articles. He viewed Islam as an intrinsic part of Indonesian culture and was disappointed by the Sukarno and Suharto government's handling of the religion. He was given three honorary doctorates during his lifetime, one from Lebanon and two from Malaysia. On 10 November 2008, Natsir was honoured as a national hero of Indonesia.