Professor who said Malays could fly sacked by Malaysian university

A Malaysian Islamic university has formally distanced itself from an academic whose viral claims about ancient Malay civilisation – including that Malays could fly and taught the Chinese “flying kung fu” – have drawn ridicule from historians.

In a statement on Sunday, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) said Solehah Yaacob, a former linguistics professor, had been terminated from academic service on April 27 and was no longer entitled to claim any affiliation with the institution.

The university’s Office for Communication, Advocacy and Promotion said Solehah was now barred from using any official title, position or association with IIUM.

“She is no longer a professor nor entitled to claim any association with the university,” it said. “IIUM hopes that this clarification will help avoid any misunderstanding and uphold the integrity and academic standing of the university.”