KUALA LUMPUR: After recently claiming that “Malays can fly”, a senior academic from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has once again sparked online debate — this time by asserting that the Romans learned shipbuilding from the Malays, according to reports by
Focus Malaysia and
Sinar Harian.
In a video lecture circulating on social media, Prof Dr Solehah Yaacob asserted that Malay maritime expertise dated back to the Funan kingdom and had influenced ancient civilisations, including Rome.
Solehah, a lecturer in Arabic language and literature, claimed the Malays mastered shipbuilding skills through contact with the Phoenicians, producing hundreds of grand vessels long before the rise of Melaka in the 13th century.
She claimed that she held numerous articles supporting her theory but could not reveal them all, adding that Malay ancestors were rich in resources such as gold, iron, and tin, which helped develop their maritime capabilities.
Her statement comes days after the discovery of a 13th-century shipwreck off Pulau Melaka, hailed as one of Malaysia’s oldest finds, though experts say it offers no link to her theory.
Human rights activist Siti Kasim mocked the claim on social media, quipping that Solehah “can become a good fiction writer for movies”.
Facebook history page SEA Heritage & History also published a detailed rebuttal, stating that no archaeological or written evidence shows Romans learned shipbuilding from Malays.
The page explained that while trade routes connected Rome and Southeast Asia through India and the Indian Ocean, direct technological transfer was unproven and largely viewed as a myth.
University of Tasmania academic Prof James Chin was more blunt, calling Solehah’s lecture “pseudo-history” and saying that “real historians would simply label her as nuts”.
He added that Solehah’s continued tenure as a professor reflected poorly on IIUM’s academic standards, noting she had made similar claims for years without scholarly challenge.
