From Mat Kilau to flying Malays: How communal anxieties fuel alternative history publishers

KUALA LUMPUR, September 28 — Former linguistics professor Solehah Yaacob has garnered international scorn and ignited debate at home with her peculiar historical claims. Despite being dismissed from the International Islamic University Malaysia in April, her revisionist assertions continue to garner support. Solehah's social media presence boasts over half a million followers on Facebook and TikTok, and her seminars on "Lost Malay History and Civilization" remain highly sought after.

Sociologists argue that her appeal stems from contemporary communal insecurities, particularly among right-wing Malay nationalists who are seeking to assert Malay historical supremacy. The phenomenon is fueled by Malaysia's economic anxieties, with over 60% of the population facing persistent financial insecurity. Academics, such as Universiti Sains Malaysia historian Azmi Arifin, have questioned the reliance on British colonial perspectives in history syllabuses, arguing that terms like "feudal" fail to accurately capture traditional Malay governance.

Revisionists often attempt to erase Malaysia's pre-Islamic heritage to assert supremacy. Solehah dismisses the country's Hindu-Buddhist past as "Western propaganda" and claims that the prophet Abraham was Malay and Moses visited Kedah's Gunung Jerai. Cultural historian Eddin Khoo points out that defining Malay identity solely through a puritanical religious lens makes the region's pre-Islamic heritage uncomfortable for nativists.

Despite the commercial appeal of alternative history narratives, cultural historian Eddin Khoo cautions that unchecked pseudohistory undermines public historical literacy.