IIUM ends ties with academic behind controversial Roman-Malay shipbuilding claim

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has officially severed ties with controversial academic Solehah Yaacob, following her contentious claims about ancient Romans and Kedah's iron ore deposits. Solehah's academic service concluded on April 27, and she is no longer an employee or representative of the university, according to a statement released by IIUM’s Office of Communication, Advocacy and Promotion.

The university barred Solehah from using any official title or affiliation with IIUM in promotional materials, media reports, publications, advertisements, social media content, or other public dissemination. IIUM emphasized the need for clarity to avoid confusion over Solehah's status and to safeguard its academic reputation. The academic, who previously taught Arabic language and linguistics at IIUM, gained public attention last year for her claim that ancient Romans might have learned shipbuilding skills from Malay seafarers.

This assertion led Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir to caution university academics against making claims outside their areas of expertise. IIUM had previously maintained that Solehah's views did not reflect the university’s official stance. Recently, Solehah proposed a theory linking Kedah's significant iron ore deposits to meteor activity in ancient times, reigniting discussions and skepticism about her claims.