خلاصة:
In Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Muslim world, academic
institutions — particularly in the humanities and social sciences —
often ignore the potential leadership role of women. This is espe-
cially evident in Islamic studies, where women play a minor role
in research, teaching, and course management. Generally speak-
ing unlike in the Middle East, many public and private Southeast
Asian schools of higher learning, as well as “Islamic” schools,
feature female Muslim scholars in their administrational struc-
tures. Indonesia boasts several woman serving as leaders in Is-
lamic educational organizations, and Masnon Ibrahim is the
current rector of Brunei’s Seri Begawan Religious Teachers Uni-
versity College. On the international level, Zaleha Kamaruddin,
the recently appointed rector of the International Islamic Univer-
sity Malaysia (ITUM) , remains the world’s first and only female
rector of an Islamic institution of higher learning.
This short article seeks to address her feelings, style, and role, as
well the challenges in managing an international Islamic institu-
tion. It is based on her written answers to written questions, a re-
cent unstructured interview, and personal contact gained while
working together as administrators at IITUM during the 1990s.
Officially known at [TUM as Prof. Dato Sri Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin, the
rector was born and raised in Malaysia. After earning a bachelor of law (with
honours) degree in 1985 from the University of Malaya, the following year
she joined the Malaysian Bar Council. Among the first student intakes for
ITUM’s master’s program in comparative law, she received her degree in 1988.
Soon thereafter Kak Leha, as she is called by her Malay friends at work, ac-
quired an advanced diploma in Shari ‘ah law and practice from I [ITUM. In 1990,
she entered a doctoral program in comparative family law at the University of
London (England) and graduated four years later. Upon her return, she joined
TUM in 1992 as an assistant professor, became an associate professor in 2000,
and a full professor at the Ahmad Ibrahim Faculty of Law in 2006
ملخص الجهاز:
Interview with Zaleha Kamaruddin Ahmad Yousif Abstract In Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Muslim world, academic institutions – particularly in the humanities and social sciences – often ignore the potential leadership role of women.
On the international level, Zaleha Kamaruddin, the recently appointed rector of the International Islamic Univer- sity Malaysia (IIUM), remains the world’s first and only female rector of an Islamic institution of higher learning.
Ahmad Yousif is an associate professor at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, IIUM, KL-Campus, Malaysia.
Her quarter century of administrative service includes appointments as deputy dean of student affairs (1994), deputy dean of the Research Manage- ment Centre (2000), dean of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (2003), and dean of the Ahmad Ibrahim Faculty of Law (2006).
Question#1: How do you feel about your appointment as a female Muslim rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)?
I was the dean of the Faculty of Law at this university a few years ago, and there are many women leaders and CEOs in Malaysia and the Islamic world, so the hype about gender is a bit exaggerated.
Apart from pursuing the path of attaining the MoHE designation of Research University, we are also determined to achieve the status of a leading international academic re- search institution imbued with Islamic values.
Question #6: Any plan to establish research collaborations between IIUM and academic institutions in the West in general, and North America in particular?