IIUM Confers upon both Father and Daughter Master of Laws at 40th Convocation

By, Siti Fatimah Abdul Rahim

GOMBAK, 17 November 2024: A father and daughter duo celebrated a remarkable milestone together in the 40th IIUM Convocation Ceremony at IIUM Gombak, today. Both were conferred Master of Laws (LLM) in Islamic Banking and Finance from Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL).

In an exclusive interview with IIUMToday, Khalek bin Awang, who also earned his first degree at the IIUM in the 1990s, and his daughter, Iman Irdina, who joined the university years later and first graduated from the IIUM in 2019, conveyed that they both regarded the IIUM as a ‘Garden of Knowledge and Virtue’ throughout their academic and professional journeys. Now practising law together in their legal firm, the pair have seamlessly incorporated knowledge from their advanced educational pursuits into their careers. Khalek has been working in his law firm for 20 years, while Irdina has had five years of working experience.

“This feels so familiar,” said Khalek. “The learning process and learning environment remind me of my undergraduate days here, but now with the challenges of the Master’s level study. It also helps that I was once a lecturer at this institution.” He also described his experience of studying while managing work in his firm, “Years of encountering various legal issues have deepened my familiarity with the field. The knowledge I acquired was familiar to me due to my work experience and I had blended my experience with academic knowledge and instilled self-discipline.”

Studying alongside a family member has been a remarkable journey for both. “Having these classes together (with my daughter) allowed us to spend extra time together than what we normally had,” Khalek added. “The experience is truly meaningful, especially by having the chance to be in classes with my daughter,” he said.

For Irdina, her father has been a strong pillar of encouragement. She expressed gratitude for sharing her passion for legal studies, acknowledging that she sometimes feels pressured to excel as a legal practitioner. “Although it’s nothing serious, I do want to prove to myself that I can do the same thing as well, for my own improvement and future undertakings, and therefore I wanted to excel in the master’s program.” She conveyed her hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps and become as accomplished as him.

Despite their shared journey, their schedules often kept them apart during study sessions. “It wasn’t always possible to study together due to our differing routines and workloads,” said Irdina.

The achievement marks Khalek’s second master’s degree. “Prioritizing knowledge is essential for me,” he said. “Nowadays, what makes a lawyer different from another is knowledge. I always emphasize this to my lawyers. We have no other alternative but to get more knowledge to advise better and to play our role responsibly.”

Naturally, on their journey, there will always be obstacles interfering. Juggling multiple things at once could teeter one on the precipice of whether to continue or to retreat, but not to both of them, as they stayed resilient. Reflecting on the experience, Khalek and Irdina recalled moments of struggle and triumph with smiles. “It was tough but rewarding,” said Khalek. “The tests, assignments, and overwhelming workload in addition to work were very challenging, but I encourage it to students to help them understand the true meaning of the knowledge attained. I don’t consider what I studied as theoretical, but reliable.” Khalek added, “But work is a priority for me, and there are times where we breach the deadline, but not that much (chuckles). The lecturers were very understanding. It wasn’t an easy road, but we made it—and here we are!”

Their story stands as a testament to ongoing perseverance, strong family support, and the enduring pursuit of knowledge as essential to success.***