Naquib Al-Attas’ Royal Professorship: Whither an Inclusive ‘Madani’ Malaysia?

Internationally renowned Malaysian scholar Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas was conferred the title of Royal Professor on 23 October 2024 by His Majesty the King, Sultan Ibrahim. This award is the highest honour for academics who have made significant contributions to Malaysia’s development. The title was last conferred on Al-Attas’ cousin, the late economist Ungku Abdul Aziz, in 1978. The awardee is also given RM500,000 (US$113,500).

Minister of Higher Education Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir stated that Al-Attas was awarded the title for “introducing the concept of the Islamisation of knowledge applied in various branches of knowledge”, adding a long list of fields including religious education, history, metaphysics, semantics, and literature. He also noted that Al-Attas’ legacy is “invaluable” to “civilisational literature and Malay literature”. Zambry said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim initiated the move to confer the title on Al-Attas and the government proposed this to the Council of Rulers.

Given the Royal Professorship’s prestige, it is possible that 93-year-old Al-Attas’ ideas will see renewed influence within the government and society, which could potentially result in a more exclusivist approach to Islam, and religious and cultural diversity in Malaysia.

The award suggests that the Madani administration has chosen to rely on the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) for support. Founded in 1971 and led by Anwar from 1974 to 1982, the organisation had close links with Al-Attas who was a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor at the time. As noted by Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, another former senior ABIM leader, Al-Attas designed ABIM’s logo. ABIM published some of Al-Attas’ most important books such as Islam Dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu (1972), Islam and Secularism (1978), and Risalah Untuk Kaum Muslimin (1973).

Anwar has had a long-standing relationship with Al-Attas from the time he was a student. In an Instagram post on 23 October, he recalled Al-Attas’ role as a mentor and source of encouragement during his detention in Kamunting from 1974 to 1976 for leading a demonstration in Baling, Kedah, as a student leader. Al-Attas’ mentorship inspired Anwar’s ideas on merging Malay nationalism with Islamic reform, akin to ideas originating with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. When Anwar joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and entered government in 1982, his relationship with Al-Attas led to the establishment of Islamic institutions during then PM Mahathir Mohamad’s first administration. These included the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 1983 and the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) in 1987.

Al-Attas’ influence has been far-reaching among the Malaysian intelligentsia.

Al-Attas’ important position and that of his students while Anwar was in government as deputy prime minister and education minister paved the way for the birth and flourishing of the so-called Attasian movement in Malaysian universities and institutes of higher education such as ISTAC. These Attasians, self-proclaimed staunch followers of Al-Attas, have occasionally misconstrued his scholarship for more self-righteous and exclusivist purposes. One example of such efforts is the movement to disallow the usage of “Allah” by non-Muslims.

However, following Anwar’s ousting from government in 1998 and his subsequent release from prison, he seems to have kept a distance from Al-Attas, perhaps because of the latter’s role in promoting certain exclusivist thoughts. These include the Islamisation of Malay culture through the National Culture Congress in 1971, restricting the use of the word “Allah” in speech and publications solely for the Muslim community, and rejecting aspects of equality in modern human rights.

Yet, even after 1998, the Attasians, including Naquib’s son Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas, continued to wield influence in government and stood behind then PM Abdullah Badawi (2003-2009) to provide support for his programme of Islam Hadhari. An avid Attasian, Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud was active in the National Civics Bureau (Akademi Kenegaraan) and his book Masyarakat Islam Hadhari (2006) was a main reference for many later publications on Islam Hadhari. 

Anwar’s Instagram post commemorating the award was silent on Al-Attas’ influence in Anwar’s life post-1998, however, as their perspectives on politics and national leadership in a Muslim-majority country would differ. With the founding of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and later the emergence of Pakatan Harapan, Anwar’s views on politics from an Islamic perspective became more flexible as he needed to balance his position as an opposition leader for all races while seeking influence from civil society.

With Anwar’s return to politics as PM in 2022, less attention has been given to the Attasians and to Al-Attas’ scholarship. For instance, Al-Attas was not mentioned in the sources Anwar used to conceptualise his Madani framework although Al-Attas’ late brother, Syed Hussein Alatas was featured. Given Anwar’s agenda to combat corruption and his frequent citations of Alatas’ important scholarship on corruption, it is understandable that the latter’s name has been revived.

Despite this, Al-Attas’ influence has been far-reaching among Malaysia’s intelligentsia. Questions have arisen about the timing and intention of the award. While some may ask why it was conferred only decades after his most important accomplishments and contributions, perhaps it is more important to ponder upon the award’s implications. Will Al-Attas’ recognition as Royal Professor lead to a resurgence in the influence of the Attasian movement in the government? If so, how will this affect Malaysian politics and society?

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