Anwar Ibrahim aka Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim aka Anwar bin Ibrahim is a prominent Malaysian politician. Born to a relatively wealthy family, Anwar learned from a young age about leadership from his parents, both of whom were involved in politics. As his country transitioned from its colonial roots to full sovereignty, he joined a growing groundswell of patriotic and ethnic pride. Using his confidence and leadership skills, he became a student leader, widely-renowned for his religious and cultural passions. Ibrahim then joined a powerful political party, and quickly rose through the ranks. After serving as a number of different positions in the cabinet, he was apparently seen as the heir to the long-time ruling strongman. But when a financial crisis caused a divergence of views, Ibrahim was cast down from power and sent to jail. Taking advantage of sodomy laws, his political enemies used extremely weak circumstantial evidence to keep him imprisoned. After a court later reversed the charges, Ibrahim was once again snared up in a sting relating to his sexuality, which is the subject of much intolerance and condemnation in his homeland. Although Ibrahim is widely respected in the west, particularly for his pro-market economics views, the ruling powers of his home country are consistently determined to repress him politically by any means necessary.