The Beacon of Knowledge: Prof Dr Faridah Awarded Emerita Professor

By, Amni Azizan

GOMBAK, 6 December 2025: Prof. Dr Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf was accorded the title Emerita Professor in the first session of the 41st IIUM Convocation Ceremony at the Main Hall of IIUM Cultural Centre today.

The title is awarded to retired professors who still remain in the academic circle, which recognises their outstanding achievements in their careers.

Prof Dr Faridah, a former professor at the Department of English Language and Literature, IIUM, said, “Life does not stop retirement and whatever you do today in your career will be later recognised by later generation of your service although you don’t work to be recognised. But I think it’s your passion. It’s your commitment in giving that will be remembered.”

Prof Dr Faridah wants to continue mentoring young people in her niche area, the Islamisation of English literary studies, and gives financial support to cultivate innovation and inventive culture at IIUM, including research through the existing Islamic Financial system, Zakat Wakalah.

Prof. Dr Nor Faridah is an academician who championed English literature, particularly in English postcolonial perspectives and Islamic worldviews. Her work in “Critical Analysis in Bloom’s Taxonomy in Teaching Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in Malaysia Through English Literature’, published in 2017, proves that literature can be used as a tool for teaching critical thinking skill for students.

She paved a creative path alongside her academic career as a literary scholar. Her writings included her poetry collections, “The Art of Naming: A Muslim Woman’s Journey”, published in 2006 and Travel Poetry (2019), inspired by her own experience travelling abroad.

Prof. Dr Nor Faridah served IIUM for almost three decades, most notably as the Deputy Rector of Internationalisation and Global Network from 2018 to 2020.***