By Mahadhir bin Monihuldin
GOMBAK, 4 February 2018: A total of 1,915 new IIUM students who have just joined the university this semester have been urged to treat each other with dignity and respect and not to lose sight of the reason why they are here in the Garden of Knowledge and Virtue.
Speaking at the Baiah ceremony for new-intake students on Friday (2 February), Deputy Rector (Academic and Industrial Linkages), Prof. Dr. Isarji Haji Sarudin, said, “Studying in IIUM is demanding, so never to lose sight of what you are here for.”
“If you heed this advice, you will have a great time of growth, development and learning in this university,” Dr. Isarji stressed.
Held at the IIUM Cultural Centre (ICC), the Baiah ceremony centred on the Islamic concept of ˜Baiah, a customary oath of allegiance practised since the time of Prophet Muhammad and the Sahaba.
The oath taking pledge was led by Muhammad Faris Lokman who read the declaration aloud and was followed by the rest of the students.
Asked about how he felt of the oath taking, Muhammad Faris expressed the importance of Baiah to instil a sense of commitment among the new students.
œTheres a possibility we might forget our goal of being here in this university, so whenever that happens, we should think back of the pledge we have taken during the Baiah ceremony, Muhammad Faris said.
The Baiah ceremony is part and parcel of a week-long Ta’aruf or induction programme where the new students were given appropriate briefings and orientations on how to adjust themselves to the new environment and campus life in IIUM.
Included in the programme, among others, were a special session with the President of IIUM, Tan Sri Dr. Rais Yatim, an exhibition by student societies in the university, and a tour of the entire campus in Gombak.
For Faris and many other new students who had gone through the Ta’aruf programme, one thing that stood out about the university was the diverse range of people they saw around the campus.
œWhen I look around it feels different from other Malaysian universities because, as Dr. Isarji said during the Baiah ceremony, there are thousands of people here coming from 114 different countries. So, there is really an international feel at the university, Faris exclaimed.
Based on the figures given by Dr. Isarji, the new semester saw a total of 1,915 new students joining IIUM.
Of that total, 30% of them are international students while the rest are Malaysians. Also, 72% of the total number are pursuing undergraduate courses while another 28% will be doing postgraduate programmes. ***
