IIUM colleagues, alumni berate ‘Prof Sambal Belacan’s’ conduct as harming institutional reputation

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WELL, it seems that the camel’s back is finally broken.

While not an official rebuke from the university authorities or the Higher Education Ministry the Academic Staff Association IIUM (International Islamic University Malaysia) has expressed grave concerns over the conduct of unnamed academic(s) who have besmirched the good name of the institution.

The statement obviously alludes to one of their brethren Prof Dr Solehah Yaakub who has been making unwanted headlines with a series of public pronouncements that challenge/defy historical facts.

The latest is a claim that the Roman Empire had benefitted from Malay shipbuilding expertise which has been widely ridiculed on social media.

It has since gone viral on WhatsApp groups and social media platforms of detractors mocking Prof Solehah for “claiming that the Egyptians got the idea of building the pyramid after they had Nasi Lemak.” (see main image).

‘Prof Sambal Belacan’

The linguistic thoughts expert had previously been labelled a Prof Sambal Belacan (shrimp paste professor) for “over-enthusiastically making fools of the Malays”.

Influencer Manan Razali had previously bestowed that dubious accolade following the academic’s incessant peddling of Malay folklore as historical fact which included tales of flying Malay supermen.

“The second reason why I took a very harsh attitude in criticising Prof Solehah is that the title of Prof Kangkung has already been taken by another professor who became very popular prior to GE14 (the 14th General Election),” justified Manan who studied economics at California State University in Sacramento.

Statement applauded

In fact, popular political commentator Prof James Chin reckoned that “pure pseudoscience” or otherwise, the Arabic linguist remains ‘untouchable’ for she is perceived as a beacon to prove that the Malay civilisation towers above all others (even historically-backed Chinese and Indian civilisations that are deemed to be among the world’s oldest).

“Dare to challenge her ideas? You’re branded anti-Malay, anti-Islam – or worse – a tool of colonial erasure (like myself). It’s a shield that turns doubt into betrayal,” cautioned the inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania.

There was plenty of support to the Academic Staff Association IIUM’s statement to distance the university from the misguided and controversial statements by one of their own.

Not only were staff concerned but IIUM alumnus were also worried how such “bizarre statements” had turned Malay history into “global laughing stock”.

It was also warned that the direct outcome of having such academics is graduates of poor quality which in turns affects the organisations who hire them. Just how many young minds has she corrupted over the years, wondered one weary commenter.

The lack of official response from the IIUM higher ups or relevant authorities greatly harmed institutional integrity. Just who hired this Prof Sambal Belacan, one commenter demanded to know (she joined IIUM as an assistant lecturer in 1995 before her promotion to a professor in 2020).

Some commenters were unimpressed by IIUM Staff Association’s statement that explicitly failed to name names. There was no need to be subtle was the exhortation here as the damage was already done.

The slowness in issuing a reaction – official or otherwise – also made matters worse when this academic has allegedly been making such unsubstantiated remarks for years.

This sluggishness in responding did nobody any favours, claimed one commenter. The various controversial statements by Prof Solehah have already been ridiculed by many, especially by non-Malay citizens.

The damage to institutional reputation is massive. While IIUM and other local tertiary institutions cannot be responsible for statements made by academics in their personal capacities, the silence on the matter when it affects institutional credibility has severe consequences.

Not least, IIUM becomes a standing joke for being home to academics who spew utter nonsense. – Nov 6, 2025

The post IIUM colleagues, alumni berate ‘Prof Sambal Belacan’s’ conduct as harming institutional reputation first appeared on Focus Malaysia.

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