A forum on moderation in Malaysia has been cancelled at the 11th hour, after Universiti Islam Antarabangsa said it cannot host it hours before the event.

Co-sponsor University of Nottingham told Malaysiakini UIA's "senior management" did not approve of PKR Youth chief and Selangor executive councillor Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad being on the panel.

"Unfortunately it appears at this late stage that exception was taken to the presence of an opposition elected representative by IIUM's senior management.

"It is very disappointing especially as this was a debate about moderation," University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus head of School of Politics, History and International Relations Michael Connors said in an email.

UIA is also known as the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Calls to UIA's media relations office were not answered.

'The Great Debate Series 2: Everything in Moderation - Ways of Living Together' was to among others also feature Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low, Bar Council member Firdaus Husni and constitutional law expert Shad Saleem Faruqi.

Co-sponsor British High Commission said UIA informed organisers earlier today that it will not host.

"We have been informed today by the International Islamic University Malaysia that they are unable to host the event as initially planned.

"We apologise for inconvenience caused following this last-minute cancellation," it said on its Facebook page.

Saifuddin offers to host debate

In response, Global Movement of Moderates Foundation chief executive officer Saifuddin Abdullah offered to host the forum on another date.

@woonkingchai I & team @UKinMalaysia now looking forward to working with @saifuddinabd & #GMMF to deliver the debate.

— VickiTreadell (@VickiTreadell) April 29, 2015

"I welcome this offer. Let's meet and fix. Allowing the space for debate central to an environment of moderation [...]

"I and team now looking forward to working with Saifuddin and GMM to deliver the debate," British High Commissioner to Malaysia Vicki Treadall said on Twitter.

In immediate response, Nik Nazmi (left) said the cancellation is an "embarrassment", especially since the event is sponsored by international bodies.

"When the topic of the debate itself is on moderation, what does IIUM seek to portray with such decision?

"That they do not support the growing call for a moderate Malaysia? That a critical discussion on moderation should not involve all sectors of the community?" he asked in a statement.

He told Malaysiakini he has spoken at UIA twice before this with no issue, once on a panel with Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and another time with now Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir.

"Otherwise no problems when I spoke at even Stanford, UC Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, Australia National University, Sydney University and Melbourne University," he quipped.

He urged UIA to explain and apologise for the last-minute cancellation and for fellow panellist Low to similarly condemn the move.

"It is truly disturbing that the management of an institute of higher learning, with the tagline 'garden of knowledge and virtue' has shown its inability to rise above politics in this debacle."

UIA has previously locked out students and academics planning to hold a rally at its Gombak campus and pulled out as host for a forum on freedom of religion.