Zainul Arifin

Childhood and Education

Zainul Arifin was born as the only child of a descendant of king of Barus, Sultan Raja Barus Tuangku Ramali bin Sultan Alam Sahi Pohan with a woman of Kotanopan noble origin, Mandailing, Siti Baiyah boru Nasution. Zainul was a toddler when his parents divorced and he was brought by her mother to Kotanopan, then to Kerinci, Jambi. There he completed his education at Hollands Indische School (HIS), a type of elementary school for Dutch or aristocrat children of Dutch East Indies. In addition, Zainul Arifin also deepened religious knowledge in the mosque and Madrasah while underwent the tradìtional martial arts training of Pencak Silat. After graduated from HIS, Zainul continued his education to Normaal School, a middle school for future teachers. Arifin was also very artistic and was once active in the Malay musical theater, Stambul Bangsawan or "Musical Theater of the aristocrats". On stage, Arifin took roles as a singer and violinist. Stambul Bangsawan itself is the beginning of the development of opera theater of modern Indonesian performing arts. At the age of 16 Zainul Arifin then migrated to Batavia (Jakarta).

From Gemeente to GP Ansor

In Batavia, Zainul used his HIS diploma to apply for work at the colonial township government (Gemeente) as a clerk in the Water Company (PAM) in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. There he worked for five years before finally being laid off when the global recession started in the U.S. impacted the Dutch East Indies in 1930's. After quitting the gemeente, Arifin then chose to work as an elementary school teacher and as educator for adults Sekolah Pendidikan Rakyat, in the Meester Cornelis Region (Now Jatinegara). Zainul also often provided legal assistance to people who needed a lawyer with no educational background yet mastered the Dutch Law (Pokrol Bambu). In addition, he was also active again in the musical theater arts activities of traditional Betawi musical theater much influenced by the Malay tradition of Stambul Bangsawan called Samrah. He also founded a group called Samrah Tonil Zainul. Through this artistic activity, Arifin met and befriended Jamaluddin Malik, who would later turned into becoming a very prominent filmmaker in Indonesia. They both were very active in Samrah activities and later joined the Youth Movement (GP) ANSOR when it started actively recruiting new young members. Ansor was a youth movement under the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

As a member of ANSOR, Arifin underwent ANSOR religious trainings preparing youths to become future Islamic preachers. Zainul expertise in delivering speech, debating and preaching in Dutch and English made him came to the attention of leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama, the parent organization of ANSOR including: Wahid Hasyim, Mahfouz Siddiq, Muhammad Ilyas, and Abdullah Ubaid. In just a few short years, Zainul had become chairman of the Jatinegara Chapter of NU. Later, he was appointed as the Head of NU Consul in Batavia, until the arrival of the Japanese army in 1942 to occupy Dutch East Indies.

Become Hezbollah commander Masyumi

During the era of Japanese military occupation, Zainul Arifin follow represent NU in the management of Indonesian Muslim Shura Assembly (Masyumi) and involved in the paramilitary group Hezbollah.

To attract sympathy of the rural people, the Japanese gave Islamic organizations (mainly NU) opportunity to more actively involved in government under Japanese military occupation. Zainul Arifin was tasked with the management of modeling Tonarigumi, (Jap. "Neighbourhood") embryo, which is then formed in Jatinegara, up to the furthest corners of the village on the island of Java. While the Asia-Pacific War more heat, allow dibentuknya Japanese puppet army of paramilitary people. Muslim young men recruited late 'Tonarigumi' band formed Hezbollah (Army of God). Arifin Panglima believed to be Hezbollah's main task coordinate semi-military training course in Cibarusa, near Bogor. In the peak war training use to anticipate the occurrence of the Asia-Pacific War, Independence Indonesia's Sukarno-Hatta proclaimed on 17 August 1945 in Jakarta.

Post-Independence

Zainul then represent the party in charge of the Agency Workers Masjumi in Central Indonesian National Committee (BP-KNIP), the forerunner of the House of Assembly, while continuing to hold the leadership of Hezbollah, which has been transformed into the armed forces. During the Revolution, in addition to following the BP hearings KNIP move where as the gravity of the situation, Arifin also led the Warriors guerrilla movement Hezbollah in Central Java and East Java during Military Aggression I and II. In leading the Warriors Hezbollah Zainul use tonarigumi path or the first cultivated Neighborhood Association to include remote villages in Java. During a Military Aggression II in December 1948, the Netherlands had dropped Yogyakarta and charming Sukarno-Hatta. In an emergency, BP KNIP practically not functioning. Arifin then engaged as a member of the Central Government Commissioner in Java (KPPD), part of the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDRI) located in Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra.

Zainul main task to consolidate the agencies waging guerrilla tactics battle under the command of General Sudirman. When the government armed forces of all merge into one container of the Indonesian Armed Forces, Zainul Arifin was believed to be the Secretary Shoots military leadership. But finally, when many former members of the army, Hezbollah declared not to be accepted as members of the military as uneducated "modern" and just graduated from Madrasah, he chose to resign and concentrate on the continuing struggle for civil political channels.

Legislative dan Executive Career

Having finally acknowledged the sovereignty of the Netherlands RI end of 1949, Zainul Arifin back to Parliament as a representative of the Masyumi Party and later representatives of NU Party traditionalists when Kiai's party finally broke away from Masyumi in 1952. A year afterwards, Arifin been active in the executive board served as a deputy prime minister in the Cabinet Ali Sastroamijoyo I who ruled two full years (1953-1955).