Universiti Malaya (UM) says it has launched a comprehensive review of a 2018 article published in its Jurnal Al-Tamaddun after an independent scholar raised concerns over the use of a satirical news report as factual evidence.
Sharifah Munirah Alatas called for the retraction of the article titled “Discourse on the Bible Compilation Framework Timeline: A Relation with the Development of Islamic Source”, noting that it included a paragraph claiming ancient Greece was “entirely fabricated” by historians – a story originally published by the American satire outlet The Onion in 2010.
In response, UM today said a thorough review of the article and the editorial process was underway.
“UM takes a serious view of this issue as it involves academic integrity and the credibility of research.
“This review will help determine the appropriate actions to be taken, in line with UM’s commitment to high standards of research and publication ethics.”
Checks by FMT revealed that the article was authored by International Islamic University Malaysia Arabic language lecturer Solehah Yaacob, who has previously drawn attention for controversial claims.
She had previously suggested that the ancient Romans might have learned shipbuilding techniques from Malay seafarers and that ancient Malays could fly and had taught the Chinese “flying kung fu”.
She had also earlier stated that Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Siti Khadijah Khuwailid, originated from the Malay realm (alam Melayu).
UM said it remained committed to fostering a culture of responsible research and ensuring that trust in its academic community would be maintained.
Last Sunday, Munirah criticised the article for improper attribution, copied text presented as original work, and the inclusion of a footnote referencing a clearly satirical source.
In a Facebook post, she suggested that the article be retracted, revised, and put through the peer review process once again before it could be resubmitted for further publication.
She added that academics should be able to identify satire and avoid citing it in scholarly work unless the research specifically concerned satire, academic fraud, or incompetence.
