About the Author

I'm an technical founder, staff software engineer, and independent researcher based in Bogor, Indonesia.

My research examines how physical spaces and material objects have shaped Muslim perceptions and practices in the Indonesian archipelago from the pre-Islamic period through colonization and independence.

Professionally, I'm a staff software engineer at LaunchGood, empowering the Muslim ummah with tools for charitable crowdfunding.

I'm also the founder of The Wide Angle Workshop – a media production company focused on storytelling that documents what's worth preserving, records people who are building, and activates new participants to get involved. Our first project – Majo Jalan – celebrates Indonesia’s master craftspeople and makes the argument that traditionally crafted objects are often objectively superior to the modern, mass-produced versions that are replacing them.

Previously, I founded Blossom Finance. Through Blossom I gained editorial experience in Islamic finance research, served as a speaker and guest lecturer on Islamic finance and technology, and advised at senior levels of Indonesian financial regulation.

I wear traditional menswear – from both Eastern and Western traditions – as an act of radical intention. I'm deeply inspired by the following hadith:

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who has, in his heart, an ant's weight of arrogance will not enter Jannah." Someone said: "A man likes to wear beautiful clothes and shoes?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty. Arrogance means ridiculing and rejecting the Truth and despising people."

I view dressing deliberately – in whichever tradition one choses – as a small daily practice of that same principle. It's an insistence on beauty, craft, and care in a world that defaults to vulgarity masquerading as convenience or comfort. I'll gladly explain what a full canvased suit jacket is, clarify why batik is a process (not a motif), and demonstrate how to tie a traditional Indonesian sarung kain.

I'm Originally from Syracuse, New York. I lived in San Francisco from 2007 to 2015 until moving to Indonesia where I now consider home and have been ever since. My Indonesian language was acquired auto-didactically and has reached an intermediate-level. Although I'm quite comfortable to lecture in Indonesian on technical topics or speak in front of large audiences, embarrassingly, I still haven't learned the vocabulary for many basic household items. I generally love learning languages, and if you meet me in person, you risk being subjected to the torture of a few broken phrases in Farsi, French, Spanish, German, Danish or one of Indonesian's many regional ethnic languages (whichever of these we share in common).

In my spare time, I like camping, bowling (still trying and failing to bowl 200), and long-distance adventure motorcycle touring.

I embraced Islam in 2010 and you can view my story about my journey to Islam entitled "How the Haram Led Me to the Halal" on Youtube. I ask Allah ﷻ to forgive any shortcomings of my work and writing, whether through error or omission.

Get in touch if you find yourself in the Jakarta area.