By Dr Mohd Safar Hasim
The Controversy
The intense public debate surrounding Dr Solehah Yaacob centred on her broad, highly publicised assertions regarding pre-modern history, maritime navigation, and ancient geology.
Most notably, she defended her claim that ancient Romans learned shipbuilding from Malays by asserting that her conclusions were derived from an extensive research hypothesis grounded in classical Arabic records documenting early Malay maritime dominance.
However, her public statements extended well beyond maritime trade, asserting that Kedah’s iron ore originated from ancient meteor strikes and claiming that early Malays possessed flight capabilities. These pronouncements drew severe criticism from mainstream historians, marine archaeologists, and geologists for conflating regional folklore and speculative hypotheses with peer-reviewed scientific methodology.
History of Arabic Writing & Her Academic Premise
Dr Solehah’s claim of using ancient Arabic writing to reconstruct pre-Islamic Malay history rests upon the long evolution of the Arabic script, which spans two distinct linguistic eras:
Old Arabic Epigraphic Scripts (3rd C. BCE – 6th C. CE): Early Arabic was carved into stone across the Syrian Desert, Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula using pre-Islamic scripts — such as Ancient North Arabian, Safaitic, and Thamudic—and Nabataean precursors (exemplified by the Namara Inscription in 328 CE). These early epigraphic scripts lacked diacritical dots (I’jam) and short vowels.
The Classical Arabic Script (7th C. CE Onward): Standardised under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates through vowel systems (Harakat) and dotting, this script became the universal medium of Islamic scholarship. It was in this Classical script that Abbasid-era polymaths—such as Al-Kindi (9th C.) and Al-Biruni (11th C.) — wrote the geographical and mineralogical treatises detailing trade with Zābag (Srivijaya) and Qal’ah (Kedah).
Dr Solehah maintained that her hypotheses were built upon reading these classical Arabic geographical manuscripts. However, mainstream scholars point out that while these texts document extensive Indian Ocean commerce, they do not contain evidence of technology transfers from Southeast Asia to the ancient Roman navy.
Product of IIUM Under Prof. Dr El-Sayed Mohamed Badawi
Dr Solehah is an academic product of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), where she earned both her Master’s degree and PhD in Arabic Language and Linguistics. During her postgraduate studies, she was trained under the direct supervision of the eminent Egyptian linguist and scholar of Arabic grammar, Prof. Dr El-Sayed Mohamed Badawi (El-Said Muhammad Badawi).
Her formal training focused on classical Arabic syntax, the philosophical theory of ʿamal (governance), and rhetoric (balāghah). While this background established her authority in Arabic linguistic theory, critics noted that it did not constitute formal expertise in empirical marine archaeology, ancient Mediterranean history, or metallurgy.
From IIUM to Industrial Court and IIUM Administrative Action
Effective April 27, 2026, IIUM officially terminated Dr Solehah Yaacob’s academic employment. In a public statement issued in August 2026, the university confirmed her dismissal, stripped her of her professorial status, and explicitly prohibited her from using any official IIUM title, department, or institutional affiliation in media reports, publications, or social media to protect the university’s academic reputation.
Jurisdiction of the Industrial Court
Having rejected a six-month severance settlement, Dr. Solehah filed a representation under Section 20 of the Industrial Relations Act 1967, bringing IIUM to the Industrial Court of Malaysia to challenge her 24-hour dismissal.
Understanding the legal boundary of this proceeding is crucial for the public:
Scope of Adjudication: The Industrial Court operates strictly as an employment tribunal tasked with determining whether an employer’s dismissal of a workman was executed with or without just cause or excuse, assessing procedural fairness and administrative justification.
What the Court Will Decide: The court will determine whether the administrative termination process enforced by IIUM was lawful, fair, and compliant with Malaysian employment law.
What the Court Will NOT Determine: The tribunal will not evaluate or rule on the academic veracity of her theories. The court will not determine whether ancient Romans learned shipbuilding from Malays or if Kedah iron originated from meteors. Ruling on the historical or scientific validity of those assertions remains entirely outside judicial jurisdiction.
Conclusion: Balancing Innovation with Academic Rigour
The resolution of Dr Solehah’s case highlights a critical boundary in modern public discourse — the distinction between administrative employment law and scholarly truth. The Industrial Court may ultimately decide whether IIUM acted fairly in dismissing an academic, but its verdict will offer no validation or refutation of her underlying claims.
In fairness to Dr Solehah, her work represented a bold attempt to tread into uncharted territory — exploring novel perspectives on early Malay history and maritime heritage that had rarely been attempted before. However, while pioneering research requires intellectual courage, the foundational rigours of academia must always withstand and validate controversial statements.
Pioneering hypotheses must eventually be supported by empirical field evidence, rigorous peer review, and established methodology. Until such verifiable evidence emerges, public history is best served by remaining anchored in validated research, allowing new theories to be tested through open and methodical scholarship.
The views expressed here are entirely those of the writer
WE