Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj (Jawi: سلطان شرف الدين إدريس شاه الحاج ابن المرحوم سلطان صلاح الدين عبدالعزيز شاه الحاج; born 11 December 1945) is the Sultan of Selangor since ascending to the throne in November 2001.[1]
In 1960, his father became the Sultan of Selangor, taking the regnal name Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. In the same year, Sharafuddin was proclaimed the Raja Muda of Selangor at age fifteen. He was sent abroad to continue his education, attending the Hale School in Perth, Western Australia, from 1960 and later Langhurst College in Surrey, United Kingdom, from 1964.[2][4]
After returning from the United Kingdom in 1968, Sharafuddin joined the government as a public servant, and was attached to the Selangor State Secretariat under the administration of Menteri BesarHarun Idris. He served in the Kuala Lumpur District Office and Kuala Lumpur police department.[2][4]
In 1970, he was formally installed and took oath as the 8th Raja Muda of Selangor in a ceremony held at Istana Alam Shah, Klang.[6]
On 24 April 1999, he was appointed as Regent of Selangor after his father became the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[2][4]
Sultan of Selangor
On 22 November 2001, he was proclaimed Sultan of Selangor, succeeding his father, who died after only two years as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[1] He took the regnal nameSharafuddin (connoting 'religious enlightenment' in Arabic), and is styled as Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.[4]
The event started with inspection of Royal Guard of Honour made up of 103 members of the Royal Malaysian Navy by Sharafuddin. He entered the Balairung Seri (throne room) accompanied by a procession of palace officers. He carried out a few rituals including kissing the Quran and kissing the royal regalia, Keris Terapang Gabus before being crowned by the Selangor Mufti.[8]
As Sultan, he is known to have revoked state awards conferred by him or by his father. In 2007, he revoked the Datuk title of a businessman who pleaded guilty for financial fraud. He has also suspended others who have been charged in court for various misdealings or faced bankruptcy.[9][10] In 2011, he suspended the datukship of former transport minister Chan Kong Choy in relation to the latter being charged in court over the Port Klang Free Zone scandal.[11]
In early 2011, Sharafuddin intervened in a crisis over the appointment of the state secretary, the state's highest-ranking civil servant. The federal government appointed Mohd Khusrin Munawi to the position, which was consented to by Sharafuddin.[14] However, the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government opposed the appointment.[15] The state government eventually relented, and Khusrin assumed his duties in February 2011.[14]
In 2016, following the 'Kajang Move' political crisis. Sharafuddin revoked the 'Datuk Seri' title of Anwar Ibrahim.[16]
In 2020, The Straits Times reported that Sharafuddin owned shares in a company that planned development in the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve. Following the report and public uproar, the state government cancelled the plan.[17]
In 2022, Malaysiakini reported that Sharafuddin's family (including his brother, son and daughter) were involved in companies given quarrying leases in the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve, next to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM).[18]
In 1968 as Tengku Idris, he married Raja Zarina binti Raja Tan Sri Zainal Abidin. The marriage ended in divorce in 1986. Sharafuddin and Raja Zarina have two daughters:[4]
Tengku Zerafina (born 1969), currently an entrepreneur based in London.[19] She married Colin Salem Parbury on 5 December 2004.
Tengku Zatashah (born 1973), currently the CEO of Light Cibles Malaysia, and an environmental activist. She married Aubry Rahim Mennesson (born 1972), a French, at the Grand Mosque of Paris, France on 10 November 2007.[20] A wedding reception was held on 28 February 2008 at Istana Alam Shah, Klang.[21]
In 1988, Tengku Idris married American-born Nur Lisa Idris binti Abdullah (née Lisa Davis). They divorced in 1997 and have one child:[4]
Tengku Amir Shah (born 1990), the current Raja Muda of Selangor.
In August 2016, as Sultan, he married television personality Norashikin Abdul Rahman, now known as Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin. The solemnisation ceremony was performed by Selangor Mufti Dato’ Mohd Tamyes Abd Wahid at Masjid Istana Diraja in Istana Alam Shah, Klang and were witnessed by Selangor deputy mufti Dr Anhar Opir, Imam Mohd Rasid Mahful, former deputy mufti of Selangor Dato’ Abdul Majid Omar and Selangor Islamic Religious Council member Datuk Salehuddin Saidin.[22]
Interests
Sharafuddin is known for being adventurous, having circumnavigated the world and scaled a mountain. At 30, he climbed Mount Kinabalu.[1][23]
Prior to becoming Sultan, Sharafuddin was an avid sailor. In 1995, he circumnavigated his yacht, SY Jugra, around the world. The journey took 22 months.[23] He sold the yacht before becoming Sultan.[1] The Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta, a major annual sailing event, is named after him.[1]
He has also taken part in rallies and long distance car races. He joined and completed the 1997 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge in his 1932 Ford Model B.[1] He covered 16,000 km in 43 days, winning the silver medal in the vintage car category.[23] In 1986, he drove a Proton Saga from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching, covering 1,111 km in two days.[1]
Sharafuddin's full style and title is: Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Selangor Darul Ehsan Serta Segala Daerah Takluknya.[24]
Or in English: His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, The Sultan and Sovereign Ruler of Selangor Abode of Sincerity and its Sovereign Dependencies
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