Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani (1959 – December 18, 1998) was the Moro chief founder and leader of the Abu Sayyaf organization until his death in 1998 by Filipino police. Upon his death his brother, Khadaffy Janjalani, took control of the organization. Janjalani was born on the Philippine island of Basilan to a Muslim father and a Christian mother; his presumed year of birth, 1959, is still subject to dispute. A former teacher, he studied theology and Arabic in Libya, Syria, and Saudi Arabia during the 1980s.