Faqih was born and raised in a Javanese household in South Tangerang, a city on the outskirts of one of the busiest capitals in the world – Jakarta. Although Faqih grew up far from the ocean, it was always his favourite place to visit, especially over a weekend or on long holidays with his family. His love for the marine world only grew as he filled his days with encyclopaedias and books about the ocean and what was and continues to be his favourite animal, the sharks.

Faqih is the co-founder and project leader of Elasmobranch Project Indonesia (EPI; Yayasan Hiu Pari Lestari). EPI is a local registered non-profit organisation working to support shark and ray conservation in Indonesia through citizen science, research and awareness campaigns. EPI also aims to map the biodiversity and distribution of shark and ray species in Indonesia with the help of citizen scientists. Together with EPI and his team, Faqih is working on two species-specific projects on rhino rays (giant guitarfish and wedgefish) in Karimunjawa National Park and on the Raja Ampat epaulette shark in the Raja Ampat archipelago, while also doing citizen science work and campaigns virtually.