Miftah Maulana Habiburrohman (born 5 August 1981), also known as Gus Miftah,is a preacher and the leader of the Ora Aji Islamic Boarding School in Sleman.^[1][2] He served as the Special Envoy to the President for Religious Harmony and the Development of Religious Facilities in 2024 before resigning.^[3]

Miftah studied at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University but did not complete his studies. During his time in college, he was active in the Indonesian Islamic Student Movement [id] (PMII), which is affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama. In 2023, he completed his bachelor's degree in Islamic Religious Education at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, Sultan Agung Islamic University [id], Semarang.^[4]

As a preacher, Miftah preaches religious teachings to marginalized communities.^[5][6] He began to gain recognition when a video of him delivering a sermon at a nightclub in Bali went viral.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

His father's name is M. Murodhi bin M. Boniran,^[12] and he is a descendant of Kyai Muhammad Ageng Besari, the founder of the Tegalsari Islamic Boarding School [id] in Ponorogo.^[13]

Miftah admitted that the initial idea for preaching to marginalized communities appeared to him when he performed prayers at a small mosque near Pasar Kembang [id], a red-light district in Yogyakarta. In this area, he began holding regular religious studies attended by nightlife workers. Subsequently, he also preached at nightclubs and "plus-plus" salons.^[14]

Miftah found out that nightlife workers face difficulties in accessing religious education. When they wanted to attend religious studies outside, they often became the subject of gossip. On the other hand, there are no religious studies available at their workplaces.^[14]

His preaching activities among marginalized communities received support from Luthfi bin Yahya who is from Pekalongan.^[10][15]

During a tabligh akbar event held at drh. Soepardi Field in Mungkid on 20 November 2024,^[16] Miftah made a joke that was deemed insulting. From the stage, he interacted with an iced tea vendor. He asked, "És téhmu jik okéh ra?" (Is your iced tea still plenty?).^[17] When the vendor nodded, he responded, "Masih? Ya kana didol, goblog!" (Still? Then go sell it, idiot!).^[18]

As a Special Envoy to the President, Miftah's behavior sparked widespread criticism from the public. On December 4, the Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi [id], stated that President Prabowo Subianto had reprimanded Miftah through Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Miftah visited the iced tea vendor's house on the same day to apologize.^[19]

A petition was made on change.org demanding the president remove Miftah from his position as Special Envoy to the President. By the morning of 6 December, 215,161 people had signed the petition. On the same day, Miftah released a statement announcing his resignation as Special Envoy to the President.^[3]

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