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

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



Solehah Yaacob – an academic who attracted widespread attention in 2025 with her assertion that ancient Romans may have learned shipbuilding techniques from Malay seafarers – is no longer with the International Islamic University Malaysia as of August 23, 2026. — Picture from Instagram/solehah.yaacob


Summary

• International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has announced that Solehah Yaacob, a former academic, is no longer affiliated with the university as of April 27, following controversial claims regarding ancient Romans learning shipbuilding from Malays and meteor activity explaining Kedah's iron ore deposits.
• IIUM has prohibited her from using any official titles or affiliations with the university, stressing the need to prevent confusion and safeguard its academic integrity.
• Solehah's assertions have previously led to advice from the Higher Education Minister urging academics to refrain from making claims outside their expertise.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Sunday, 23 Aug 2026 3:30 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has confirmed that controversial academic Solehah Yaacob is no longer with the university, months after she drew public scrutiny over claims that ancient Romans learned shipbuilding from Malays and that meteor activity may explain Kedah’s iron ore deposits.

The university said Solehah’s academic service was terminated on April 27, and she is no longer a professor or representative of IIUM in any official capacity, local news outlets reported today, citing a statement from IIUM’s Office of Communication, Advocacy and Promotion.


The university said Solehah was also barred from using any official title, position or affiliation linking her to IIUM in promotional materials, media reports, publications, advertisements, social media content, publicity materials or other forms of public dissemination.


IIUM said the clarification was necessary to prevent confusion over Solehah’s status and protect the university’s institutional integrity in academic representation.


Solehah, who previously served as an Arabic language and linguistics academic at IIUM, first attracted widespread attention last year after claiming that ancient Romans may have learned shipbuilding techniques from Malay seafarers.


The claim prompted Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir to advise university academics to avoid making claims beyond their areas of expertise, while IIUM had previously stressed that her views did not represent the university’s official position.

More recently, Solehah presented a theory linking Kedah’s abundance of iron ore to meteor activity in ancient times, again drawing debate over the claim.

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I reckon Kelate, Terengganu, Kedah or Perlis should be able to offer her a job, perhaps as adviser to their respective MBs 😂😂😂