Charismatic cleric Cholil laid to rest<\/p>\n
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post\/Rembang<\/p>\n
Thousands of people accompanied the body of charismatic Muslim
\ncleric Cholil Bisri to the cemetery in Rembang regency, Central
\nJava, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Cholil passed away at about 8:40 p.m. on Monday at his home in
\nLeteh village. His family said the cleric, who was 62, died of
\nliver cancer.<\/p>\n
The deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly from
\nthe National Awakening Party (PKB) was buried at Kabongan Kidul
\ncemetery, some 1.5 kilometers from his house.<\/p>\n
Attending the funeral were former president Abdurrahman Wahid
\nand several influential Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics, including
\nSahal Machfud and Idris Marzuki, who also leads the Lirboyo
\nIslamic boarding school.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives deputy speaker Muhaimin Iskandar was
\nalso present. President Megawati Soekarnoputri and presidential
\ncandidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent messages of condolences
\nto Cholil's family.<\/p>\n
Cholil, who was born in Rembang on Aug. 12, 1942, is survived
\nwith his wife Muhsinah and eight children.<\/p>\n
He was buried beside his father Bisri Mustofa, who founded the
\nRoudlatut Thalibin Islamic boarding school. Cholil took over as
\nhead of the school after his father died in 1997.<\/p>\n
Cholil was treated at Kariadi Hospital in Semarang in May,
\nbefore being moved to Medistra Hospital in Jakarta. Last Friday,
\nhe was flown home by helicopter from MMC Hospital in Jakarta,
\nwhere he was treated for a week.<\/p>\n
\"He wanted to go home to Rembang (last Friday). He looked
\nhappy seeing his students,\" said Cholil's younger brother Mustofa
\nBisri, a noted Muslim cleric and poet.<\/p>\n
Cholil's eldest son, Yahya C. Staquf, a presidential spokesman
\nduring Abdurrahman's administration, said his farther died
\npeacefully.<\/p>\n
His family had wanted to take Cholil to Beijing for treatment,
\nbut he refused and insisted on returning to Rembang.<\/p>\n
Cholil studied at the Krapyak Islamic boarding school in
\nYogyakarta before moving to Mecca in 1961, where he lived for two
\nyears.<\/p>\n
He returned to Yogyakarta and became active in the Islamic
\nyouth movement. He cofounded the Indonesian Muslim Student
\nMovement at the State Institute of Islamic Studies in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Cholil was elected deputy chairman of the NU Party in Rembang
\nin 1971 and served as a local councillor.<\/p>\n
Two years later, he became the first chairman of the Rembang
\nbranch of the United Development Party (PPP) after then president
\nSoeharto banned all political parties other than the PPP, Golkar
\nand the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
He rose in prominence within the NU and helped found the PKB
\nin 1999. Two years later, he represented the party in the
\nAssembly as a deputy speaker.<\/p>\n
Cholil enjoyed playing badminton and wrote poems dealing with
\nsociopolitical issues. The late Muslim cleric also formed a band
\nat one time.<\/p>",
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