Ahmad Ammar bin Ahmad Azam (15 February 1993 – 2 November 2013) was a Malaysian student and social activist based in Turkey. He was known for his involvement in Islamic educational activities and humanitarian work, particularly through his affiliation with the Hayrat Foundation and various non-governmental organisations. The son of Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, a former president of the Islamic Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), he pursued higher education in history at

Marmara University Marmara University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Marmara Üniversitesi'') is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university, named after the Sea of Marmara, was founded as a university in 1982. However, its ...

in Istanbul. After his death in a road accident, he was buried at the historic

Eyüp Cemetery The Eyüp Cemetery (), aka Eyüp Sultan Cemetery, is a historic burial ground located in the Eyüp district, on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the General Directorate of Foundations. One of the oldest and largest Musl ...

in Istanbul, reportedly becoming one of the few foreign nationals to be interred there. His death received widespread attention in both Malaysia and Turkey.

Education

He started his primary education at al-Huda Islamic Elementary School,

Gombak The Gombak District is an administrative district located in the eastern-central part of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The district was created on February 1, 1974, the same day when Kuala Lumpur was declared a Federal Territory. History Go ...

before attending Bestari Islamic Middle School,

Subang Jaya Subang Jaya is a city in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third district of Petaling. It consists of the neighbourhoods from SS12 to SS19, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, Batu Tiga as well as PJS7, PJ ...

, in 2006. In 2009, he attended

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Indi ...

and was commissioned as a Junior Under Officer. In 2010, he scored 9 As in

Malaysian Certificate of Education The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), or the Malaysian Certificate of Education, is a national examination sat for by all Form 5 secondary school students in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) ...

(SPM) and was named the second best student there. Following his parents' planning, he furthered his studies in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 2011, he attended a preparatory programme at

Ankara University Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...

before attending

, studying history, in the following year.

Activities

Voluntary activities

During his studies, he was made a correspondent of World Civilization Finder Group (GPTD) in Turkey. More than that, he involved actively in many community service programmes in various countries, including

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. These including contributions to Rohingya refugees in Malaysia under the support of his beloved mother who is actively involved in humanitarian-based non-governmental organization (NGO) namely Future Global Network an
Global Peace Mission Malaysia

Hayrat Foundation

His activities with Hayrat Foundation began exactly just after he graduated from his secondary school education. In order to further his studies at Turkey, he stayed with the organization's delegates in Malaysia at the ''Madrasah Hayrat'' in order to master Turkish language. While staying with them, he studied the basic of

Risale-i Nur The Risale-i Nur Collection (, ) is a collection of religious writings by Said Nursî, a Kurdish Islamic Scholar from Bitlis region of Turkey between the 1910s and 1950s. Unlike what is often claimed, it is not a tafsir (commentary on the Qur'an ...

in the Turkish language. After mastering the language, his parents sent him to Turkey and he stayed with the Hayrat Foundation. In 8 months, he managed to end his study over Risale-i Nur and was certified by the foundation. There were also traces of him re-wrote Risale-i Nur in the

Ottoman Turkish language Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register (sociolinguistics), register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian language, Persian. It ...

using his own writing together with his friends' assistance.

Death

On 2 November 2013 around 1.30 pm, after getting the credential to teach

Said Nursî Said Nursi (1877Şükran Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey: An Intellectual Biography of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, p 3. – 23 March 1960) was a Kurdish scholar of Islam who wrote the Risale-i Nur Collection, a body of Qur'anic commentary exceedin ...

's Risalah an-Nur from Hayrat Foundation, he was expected to teach it to his students in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Ammar was hit by an ambulance driver whilst crossing a road and died at the scene. On the following day, he was being prayed at

Eyüp Sultan Mosque The Eyüp Sultan Mosque () is a mosque in Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque complex includes a mausoleum marking the spot where Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Ebu Eyüp el-Ansari (Abu Ayyub al-Ansari), the standard-bearer and companion of the ...

and was buried in

in honour of him and on his father's request. He is the first foreigner to be honoured by Turkey to be buried there. News of his death and his story was widespread in some countries including

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

. Thousands of peoples send their condolences to his family, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey,

Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...

Awards

To commemorate his service towards moderate Islam in Malaysia and Turkey, he was conferred 2 awards in conjunction with Maulidur Rasul 1435 celebration. King Abdul Halim awarded him National Maulidur Rasul Award, while Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor awarded him Saidina Ali Special Award.

References

External links

Facebook page "Şehıdımız Ahmad Ammar"
* {{YouTube, HIR30U3E9sE, GPTD: Ahmad Ammar Dalam Kenangan (1993-2013) Malaysian Muslims 1993 births 2013 deaths Road incident deaths in Turkey Pedestrian road incident deaths People from Kuala Lumpur Malaysian activists Marmara University alumni Burials at Eyüp Cemetery