The establishment of Universiti Islam Malaysia which has obtained the consent of the Malay Rulers in 2010, is expected to be realised soon, said university council chairperson Dr Mohd Yusof Noor.

“The purpose of the establishment is to reactivate the Kolej Islam Malaysia (KIM), which is now no longer in operation after the upgrading of the college to university status was delayed since 1970,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Yusof, a former student of KIM, said the university council which was appointed and received the consent of the Malay Rulers, held discussions with Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin for that purpose.

He regarded the establishment of the university, which was a continuation of KIM, as unique as it would be the only institution sponsored by the Malay Rulers in the country.

He said the relevant authorities were in the process of obtaining land measuring 40.5 hectares in Cyberjaya for the university’s main campus to allocate about 1,000 students.

“The construction will take time...as a temporary measure, we will use the Malaysian Islamic Training Institute and a few other places as campus,” he said, adding that the university would offer post-graduate and doctorate courses and was open to all races and citizenships.

- Bernama