New IIUM Rector, Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman, Engages with AHAS KIRKHS Community

By, Shaireza Jaafar

GOMBAK: 16 November 2024: The community of AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS) held a special session with the newly-appoointed rector of the IIUM, Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar on 13 November 2024 at the kulliyyah.

The event began with opening remarks from the Dean of AHAS KIRKHS, Prof. Dr. Shukran Abd. Rahman himself. In his opening speech, he shared the history of the kulliyyah, highlighted its 11 departments — from Islamic Revealed Knowledge (IRK) to Human Sciences (HS) divisions — and presented the academic activities along with the kulliyyah’s vision and mission.

Prof. Dr. Shukran also touched on the IIUM’s seven missions and their saliency as the nucleus of the university’s academic activities, research, innovation, community engagement, and publications.

He also spotlighted the kulliyyah’s four functions, which include the intellectual, social, educational, and spiritual development functions and expressed that these functions cannot be realised without the forces that accompany them — namely, academic members, higher-education professionals, graduate researchers, and undergraduates.

“Each year, we have our imperative statement. This year, our goal is to cultivate wisdom, inspire excellence, and shape the future,” said Prof. Dr. Shukran as he passed the podium to Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar to deliver his speech.

In his speech, Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar asserted that AHAS KIRKHS is the centre of all the departments at IIUM, as it serves as the body for the heart (the course),  the Qur’an and Sunnah Studies, which he described as the emblem of an Islamic university. 

From the academic aspect, he asserted “I would like to see IIUM excel in the field of scholarship. We want our publications to gain international recognition rather than remain solely local.”

Apart from that, he celebrates the importance of hosting an ‘Inaugural Professorial Lecture’ for AHAS KIRKHS professors, stating that this is not only a way to acknowledge their scholarly contributions to the IIUM but also, prominently, as part of the Islamic tradition.

Moreover, he proposed renaming some departments. For example, he suggested changing the ‘Department of Political Science’ to ‘Departmentof Political Science and Madani Studies’, the ‘Department of Usuluddin’ to ‘Department of Usuluddin, Comparative Religion and Philosophy’, and merging English Literature with Arabic Literature, signifying his belief that “all departments are guided by Ibadat,” and that Islamic literature needs to be focused on.

His suggestions opened an interactive dialogue session with the staff and members of the kulliyyah, during which some of them voiced their ideas, concerns, justifications, as well as appreciation to him. 

The event concluded with a token of appreciation to Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar, the singing of the IIUM anthem, and a photography session with all the staff and members of AHAS IRKHS.***