One of Indonesia's most prominent Muslim intellectuals, Nurcholis Majid, died Monday at the age of 66, following a long illness.
Staff at Pondok Indah, a private hospital in South Jakarta said Mr. Majid had been under treatment for a liver malfunction.
Born to a family of Muslim clerics in East Java, Mr. Majid attended a series of Islamic boarding schools before entering Indonesia's state Islamic university. He later received a doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Chicago in the United States.
Mr. Majid was seen as a key advocate of pluralism and moderation in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation. While his liberal views were criticized by hard-line Muslims, he was well respected by ordinary Indonesians.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
