A Malaysian academic, Professor Solehah Yaacob, has been fired from her position as an Arabic linguistics instructor at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The dismissal, confirmed by university officials on Sunday, followed viral pseudo-historical theories she promoted, including claims that ancient Malays taught flying kung-fu to the Chinese and that they shared shipbuilding knowledge with the Romans.
University officials confirmed Yaacob's dismissal on April 27, stating she is no longer affiliated with the institution and is prohibited from using any university titles in her public materials. The university spokesperson did not provide an explicit reason for the termination but emphasized that academic freedom must be exercised responsibly and grounded in accuracy. This statement came after the university had previously addressed Yaacob's shipbuilding claims in March.
Yaacob's theories gained widespread attention in November after a 2022 lecture clip resurfaced online. In the clip, she also suggested ancient Malays taught the Romans how to build ships. She further elaborated on these and other unsubstantiated ideas, such as iron ore deposits being the result of meteor strikes, drawing significant criticism and online mockery. Some online critics dubbed her "Prof. Sambal Belcan," referencing a common Malaysian condiment.
Despite the backlash, Yaacob has vowed to challenge her dismissal in court, stating she was fired within 24 hours and denied an opportunity to appeal. She revealed she declined a compensation offer equivalent to six months' salary. The dismissal occurred just one day after Yaacob received a Malaysian Research Assessment (MyRA) award from the university.
Scholars have largely refuted Yaacob's claims. Political commentator Professor James Chin described her theories as "pure pseudoscience" and noted that those who challenge her ideas are often labeled negatively. Historian Wan Ramli Wan Daud stated there was no evidence to support Yaacob's claims, suggesting any similarities in shipbuilding methods were coincidental. Yaacob, however, defended her remarks on social media, asserting her hypothesis was based on classical Arabic sources and proposed that the Romans acquired shipbuilding techniques from the Malay Archipelago.
Further scrutiny of Yaacob's work reportedly uncovered a reference to the satirical website "The Onion" in a 2018 journal article. The article has since been edited to remove the citation.