Meet Anwar @ IIUM: Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim returns ‘Home’

By, Shaheerah Dzaki

GOMBAK, 11 April 2025: On the fateful Friday afternoon (11 April 2025), people from all kinds of communities in IIUM gathered at the Main Hall of IIUM Cultural Centre (ICC) of IIUM Gombak to welcome the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Honourable Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

‘Meet Anwar @ IIUM: A Special Homecoming’ was particularly organised for students to interact with the Prime Minister himself to address concerns directly to him. The event was also attended by the Rector of IIUM, Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman Bakar; the President of IIUM, Tan Sri Samsudin Osman; First Minister of Selangor, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and as well as the honoured guests from the Shenandoah University, United States of America.

As the event was blessed with the recitation of dua’, the IIUM Rector began his welcoming remarks. Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman highlighted the contributions of the Prime Minister towards IIUM especially during its developmental period. The IIUM Rector said, “The Prime Minister has been associated with the foundation of the university in the first 15 years of its existence. He was the President of IIUM for ten years from 1988 until 1998.”

Moreover, Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr. Osman expressed his sincere appreciation towards the Prime Minister for his initiative to ensure enhanced internet connectivity in Higher Education but he also highlighted that the current conditions of the university is far from satisfactory. Thus, on behalf of the IIUM community, the Rector appealed to Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance for financial aid to overcome the unsatisfactory conditions by providing IIUM with the necessary funding.

Next, the occasion progressed with the handover of a donation worth USD300,000 (RM1.3 million) for the AbuSulayman International Student Fund represented by Dr. M. Yaqub Mirza, the President of Center for Islam in the Contemporary World of Shenandoah University, representing Sterling Management Group to the Rector of IIUM as the representative for IIUM Endowment Fund (IEF).

The event continued with the inspiring yet insightful speech by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In his speech, he expressed his affinity towards IIUM saying, “I really feel at home.” The Prime Minister called attention to the importance of assimilation of knowledge. Furthermore, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim also highlighted the fundamental values of freedom, justice and human dignity in any types of knowledge.

The Prime Minister also reminisced the time in which he sent a letter to the then Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak bin Hussein as a president of the Islamic student society in which he proposed to set up an Islamic university. He clarified that he could now articulate his visions better but back then, he thought that Islam is not only confined to conservative views.

“I thought Islam must be also other than the rituals, salah and zakah, it is also to promote peace and justice and understanding in humanity, not to sow the seed of discord and differences,” the Prime Minister explained.

Last but not least, the long-awaited dialogue session with the students in which Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim addressed issues and concerns from the students of IIUM. The questions ranged from the complaints of facilities on campus to the concerns regarding PTPTN rates.

The event was attended by almost 3,000 members of the IIUM community including students, lecturers and administrative staffs. Additionally, the event was also participated by the students from Kuantan, Pagoh and Gambang campus virtually.***