Historical Fact and Fiction - UTM
Historical Fact and Fiction - UTM
Historical Fact and Fiction - UTM
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SPEECH BY THE VICE CHANCELLOR, <strong>UTM</strong><br />
BOOK LAUNCHING CEREMONY<br />
“HISTORICAL FACT AND FICTION” BY<br />
Y.BHG. TAN SRI PROF. DR. SYED MOHAMMAD NAQUIB<br />
AL-ATTAS<br />
PLACE : DEWAN BESAR, INTERNATIONAL<br />
CAMPUS, <strong>UTM</strong> JALAN SEMARAK, KL<br />
DATE : SEPTEMBER 9, 2011<br />
TIME : 9.30 AM<br />
ﻢﯿﺣﺮﻟا ﻦﻤﺣﺮﻟا ﷲا ﻢﺴﺑ<br />
ﻦﯿﻤﻟﺎﻌﻟا بر ﷲ ﺪﻤﺤﻟا<br />
،ﻦﯿﻠﺳﺮﻤﻟاو ءﺎﯿﺒﻧﻷا فﺮﺷأ ﻰﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟاو ةﻼﺼﻟاو<br />
.<br />
ﻦﯿﻌﻤﺟأ ﮫﺒﺤﺻو ﮫﻟآ ﻰﻠﻋو
ﮫﺗﺎﻛﺮﺑو ﷲا ﺔﻤﺣرو ﻢﻜﯿﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟا<br />
A Very Good Morning<br />
2<br />
Your Royal Highness, Raja Zarith Sofia binti Almarhum<br />
Sultan Idris Shah,<br />
Your Excellencies,<br />
Professors,<br />
Students,<br />
Ladies <strong>and</strong> Gentlemen,<br />
Welcome to the launch of <strong>Historical</strong> <strong>Fact</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fiction</strong>, a<br />
noteworthy <strong>and</strong> groundbreaking piece of work, written by a<br />
distinguished thinker <strong>and</strong> philosopher, Tan Sri Prof. Dr. Syed<br />
Muhammad Naquib al-Attas.<br />
As the oldest university in the country, dated back in 1904<br />
as Treacher Technical School, <strong>UTM</strong> seeks to become an<br />
excellent institution of higher learning. Towards achieving<br />
that goal, <strong>UTM</strong> is proud to be associated with this latest<br />
project by Tan Sri Prof. Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-
3<br />
Attas, a globally renowned scholar, who has demonstrated<br />
remarkable achievements in many different fields of Islamic<br />
thought, history <strong>and</strong> civilisation.<br />
This book, <strong>Historical</strong> <strong>Fact</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Fiction</strong> by Tan Sri Prof. Al-<br />
Attas, bears the maiden imprint of CASIS, the <strong>UTM</strong> Centre<br />
for Advanced Studies of Islam, Science <strong>and</strong> Civilization, a<br />
centre of excellence that would put <strong>UTM</strong> at the global front,<br />
as an institution that offers outst<strong>and</strong>ing work in humanities<br />
studies <strong>and</strong> research programme, while maintaining its<br />
status as a highly advanced technology-based University.<br />
World-class universities <strong>and</strong> higher learning institutions such<br />
as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of<br />
Technology, <strong>and</strong> University of Chicago, to name just a few,<br />
are institutions that are renowned for their science,<br />
engineering, <strong>and</strong> technology-based studies, with many Nobel<br />
Laureates in their academic faculty. University of Chicago, at<br />
one point has more than fifty Nobel laureates on campus,<br />
from Chemistry, to Physics, Astronomy <strong>and</strong> it has a world-<br />
class business school.
4<br />
All of these institutions also have one thing in common: a<br />
world-class humanities programme that attracts the best<br />
minds – thinkers, scholars, intellectuals <strong>and</strong> students from all<br />
over the world. Their libraries are immensely rich, not only in<br />
their core subjects, but also in humanities resources, <strong>and</strong><br />
their publication of books, is the envy of other institutions.<br />
<strong>UTM</strong> draws inspiration from these renowned universities, so<br />
that our scientifically <strong>and</strong> technologically minded students<br />
<strong>and</strong> academics are not detached from cutting edge research<br />
<strong>and</strong> advances in humanities studies.<br />
The book is the latest in a series of thought provoking <strong>and</strong><br />
l<strong>and</strong>mark books by Tan Sri al-Attas, from his Origin of The<br />
Malay Sha’ir, The Concluding Postscript of the Malay Sha’ir,<br />
The General Theory Of Islamization of the Malay<br />
Archipelago, The Correct Date of the Terengganu Inscription,<br />
<strong>and</strong> many others that redirect the interpretation, <strong>and</strong><br />
conclusion of Islam in the Malay Archipelago, <strong>and</strong> of Islam<br />
<strong>and</strong> its role in World history.
5<br />
Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas, in many of his intellectually stimulating<br />
works, <strong>and</strong> this book in particular, brought forth a method of<br />
analyzing <strong>and</strong> scrutinizing the problematic aspects of the<br />
interpretation of our history, that have been left unsolved.<br />
Many have taken for granted, from the legacy of European<br />
historians of the Malay Archipelago.<br />
We all would agree unanimously, that among the<br />
characteristics of a great work, is that, it gives its readers<br />
long lasting guidance, either at the personal level, or societal<br />
level. This book is set to fill that position, because not only it<br />
guides us individually, but more importantly, as a nation.<br />
The significant insights, therein, have reconfirmed that our<br />
history, its problems, explanations <strong>and</strong> solutions, are ours.<br />
The weak logical analysis, <strong>and</strong> rational estimation of the<br />
European scholars about our history, must be put in their<br />
proper perpective. This is due to the fact that, Islamization of<br />
our region, is a process that is uniquely ours <strong>and</strong> innate in<br />
our consciousness.
6<br />
This book reminds us, <strong>and</strong> guides us of that process, in the<br />
past, <strong>and</strong> it will continue to guide <strong>and</strong> inspire our generations<br />
in the future, like many other books of Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas.<br />
At the global level, this book reignites the illuminating<br />
knowledge of Muslims in this region of their veritable history,<br />
one that should not be construed by spurious thinking due to<br />
errors <strong>and</strong> fallacies in chronological frameworks by<br />
European historians, who write concerning Islam in this<br />
region. Tan Sri Prof. al-Attas has thus drawn the intellectual<br />
charts, of the global Islamization process, for the Malay<br />
Archipelago.<br />
<strong>UTM</strong> is indeed privileged, to have been given this<br />
opportunity, to publish a book that brings order, logical<br />
thought, <strong>and</strong> scientific analytical reasoning in the proper<br />
Islamic framework, in analyzing <strong>and</strong> interpreting our history.<br />
To further make the launch of this seminal book more<br />
meaningful, CASIS is holding a special seminar later this<br />
afternoon following the Friday Prayers. Everyone is most<br />
welcome to attend free of charge, in the spirit of Eidul Fitri.
7<br />
We would like to thank, <strong>and</strong> congratulate Tan Sri Prof. al-<br />
Attas for consenting to publish his latest work with <strong>UTM</strong>,<br />
although many other academic publishers would be<br />
extremely eager to do so.<br />
Our deep gratitude <strong>and</strong> appreciation, especially go to Her<br />
Royal Highness Raja Zarith Sofiah, who has consented to<br />
cut short her Eid celebration in Perak, just to be with us to<br />
grace this meaningful occasion.<br />
Menjunjung Kasih Tuanku.<br />
Thank you.<br />
،ﺔﯾاﺪﮭﻟاو ُﻖﯿﻓﻮﺘﻟا ﷲﺎِﺑو<br />
.<br />
ﮫﺗﺎﻛﺮﺑو ﷲا<br />
ﺔﻤﺣرو ﻢﻜﯿﻠﻋ مﻼﺴﻟاو