Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab ( ) (born 19 August 1946 in South Sulawesi) is a scholar of the interaction of Christian and Muslim communities. Currently he is the Indonesian President's special envoy to the Middle East and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He held the office of Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare in 2004–2005 and the Foreign Minister of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001. Education At age of 10, Alwi went to study basic education at Darul Nashihin Boarding School in Lawang, East Java. Later, Alwi's father sent him and his brother Quraish to Cairo to continue their high school abroad. After completing his high school in Cairo, Alwi continued and completed his bachelor's degree from Al-Azhar University and acquired L.C. degree in 1968 in Islamic philosophy. He then continued his education in Indonesia and completed his master at Alaudin State Institute of Islamic Studies (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Alaudin), Ujung Pandang in 1986. His first doctoral degree was acquired in 1990 from University of Ain Shams, Cairo with research dissertation in the area of tasawwuf and Islamic philosophy with thesis title Islamic Sufism and Its Impact on Indonesian Contemporary Sufism. In 1991, Alwi went to US to continue his education at Temple University, US. He and his family initially stayed in Carbondale, Illinois in 1991, but later moved to a town in Pennsylvania and completed his M.A in 1992. Not satisfied with a single doctoral degree, he then completed his second PhD from the same university in 1995 with dissertation The Muhammadiyah Movement and Its Controversy with Christian Mission in Indonesia. While at Temple, Alwi become assistant professor for the Department of Religion. Alwi also did some post-doctorate at The Harvard University's Divinity School during 1995–1996 period. Later, he joined Hartford Seminary in Hartford as professor of religion. In 1998 he served as fellow and visiting professor at Harvard University's Divinity School - Center for the Study of World Religions. In the 1990s he wrote a book about Islam-Christianity interaction: Islam Inklusif He also completed two works for publication: a manuscript entitled American Students’ Perceptions of Islam, and a translated (from Arabic to English) version of a previous publication entitled Islamic Mysticism and Its Impact on Indonesian Society. In 2002 he became adjunct professor for graduate programs at the University of Indonesia and currently is a member of Universitas Indonesia (UI) Board of Trustees. Career In politics, His political