[1][2] Alawiyah, the daughter of an Islamic scholar named Abdullah Syaffi'ie, was born in Jakarta on 30 March 1942.
[1] In March 1998, Tutty Alawiyah was appointed Minister of State for Women's Affairs during the waning days of the Suharto administration.
[1] She continued to serve as Minister for Women's Affairs under Suharto's successor, President B. J. Habibie until October 1999.
[2] She later founded and served as the rector of Assyafiiyah Islamic University in Pondok Gede, Bekasi, West Java, a position she held until her death in May 2016.
[1][2] Tutty Alawiyah died at Metropolitan Medical Center (MMC) in Kuningan, Jakarta, at 7.15 a.m. on 4 May 2016, following a two-week hospitalization.