Najwa Shihab Net Worth, Bio, Age, Husband, Career

Najwa Shihab Bio, Wiki

Najwa Shihab is an Indonesian actress and journalist with a diverse heritage, being of both Bugis and Arabic ancestry.

She is the second daughter of Quraish Shihab, who served as the former Minister of Religious Affairs in the Cabinet of Development VII, and is also the niece of Alwi Shihab, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Najwa Shihab Age

Shihab was born in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on September 16, 1977, and she is currently 46 years old in 2023.

Najwa Shihab Height

Shihab’s height is 5 feet 3 inches, which is equivalent to 1.6 meters.

Najwa Shihab Family

Shihab was born in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, Indonesia to her parents Quraish Shihab and Fatmawati Assegaf.

Najwa Shihab Husband

Shihab has been married to her husband Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf since 1997. The couple is blessed with two beautiful kids Izzat Ibrahim Assegaf and Namiyah binti Ibrahim Assegaf.

Najwa Shihab Education

Shihab studied at Jakarta High School No. 6 until 1996. While at the school, she was chosen to participate in the American Field Service program, which allowed her to spend a year in the United States. After completing high school, she began her law degree at the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia.

Najwa Shihab Career

Her journalistic journey began in 1999 when she embarked on her career at RCTI. A year later, she made a significant move by joining the newly established Metro TV in 2000. It was during the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2004 tsunami that Shihab was dispatched to Aceh, where she reported on the extensive destruction caused by the tsunami and the haunting sight of decomposing bodies strewn across the streets. Her compelling reports and interviews with government officials not only elevated her status but also earned her recognition in the form of an award from the Indonesian Journalists Association.

In 2008, Shihab was granted a scholarship through the Australian Leadership Awards program to pursue her studies in media law at the University of Melbourne.

After dedicating more than a decade to Metro TV, she made the decision to leave the news channel in August 2017 and subsequently founded her own news startup, Narasi TV, in 2018.

In 2022, Shihab took on the role of Nani Wijaya in the film “Sri Asih,” a character originally portrayed by Mimi Mariani in 1954.

Mata Najwa

On November 25, 2009, Shihab embarked on her journey as the host of her own talk show, “Mata Najwa,” which aired on Metro TV. The program was scheduled every Wednesday from 8:00 pm WIB to 9:30 pm WIB. Over the years, she welcomed esteemed guests, including former presidents Habibie and Megawati Soekarnoputri, former vice presidents Boediono and Jusuf Kalla, as well as the then Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo.

However, on August 23, 2017, Shihab decided to part ways with Metro TV, leading to the conclusion of her show on the channel. Nevertheless, she and “Mata Najwa” made a triumphant return to television on January 10, 2018, this time on a different channel, Trans7.

Terawan interview

In October 2020, Shihab found herself facing a police report filed by Silvia Devi Soembarto, the chairperson of United Jokowi Volunteers. This report stemmed from an incident on the September 28, 2020, episode of Mata Najwa, where Shihab conducted an unusual interview with an empty guest chair meant for Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto. Through her Instagram account, Shihab explained that her intention was to encourage public officials, particularly Terawan, who had been conspicuously absent, to provide explanations regarding their policies for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, she stressed that these explanations did not necessarily need to be given on her show.

Shihab’s empty chair interview was a pioneering event in Indonesia, with her considering it a legitimate form of journalism, citing precedents in the United Kingdom and the United States where similar approaches had been employed by journalists.