KUALA LUMPUR – The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has confirmed that Dr Solehah Yaacob is no longer part of its academic staff, with her service at the university ending on April 27.
In a statement issued on Sunday, IIUM’s Office of Communication, Advocacy and Promotion (OCAP) said Solehah no longer holds the position of professor at the institution and is not authorised to represent the university in any capacity.
The university also stressed that she is no longer permitted to use any title, position, kulliyyah, centre, institute, department or other official affiliation associated with IIUM.
“Accordingly, the use of any title, position, kulliyyah, centre, institute, department or any form of official affiliation with IIUM is not permitted.
“The use of titles or positions associated with IIUM is also not permitted in any promotional material, media reports, publications, advertisements, social media content, publicity materials or other forms of communication, whether directly or indirectly,” the statement said.
IIUM said the clarification was issued to avoid public confusion regarding Solehah’s employment status and official ties with the university, while upholding academic integrity and institutional standards.
Solehah had previously attracted public attention following several controversial statements relating to Malay history and civilisation.
In November last year, IIUM formed an internal inquiry panel to review remarks she made regarding the shipbuilding techniques of the ancient Roman civilisation.
The university said the inquiry was carried out to ensure a comprehensive and independent assessment of matters concerning academic integrity, in line with the panel’s terms of reference.
The three-member panel was chaired by IIUM deputy director for Academic and Internationalisation Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Faris Ismail.
Its members were historian Prof Dr Zaid Ahmad from the Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), and International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) dean Prof Dr Hazizan Noon.
The panel’s findings and recommendations were to be presented to the university’s disciplinary authority for consideration and any further action deemed necessary.
Solehah came under intense scrutiny last year after a video of one of her lectures circulated online, in which she suggested that ancient Romans may have acquired shipbuilding knowledge from Malay sailors.
She defended her claim, saying her hypothesis was based on classical Arabic sources.
The remarks prompted Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir to advise university lecturers against making claims beyond their respective fields of expertise.
More recently, Solehah proposed another theory suggesting that the large deposits of iron ore found in ancient Kedah could have originated from meteor showers thousands of years ago. – August 23, 2026