The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is the manifestation of one of the major aspirations of Muslim scholars in Malaysia to have an Islamic university in Malaysia to lead the Muslim ummah in all branches of knowledge. The plan to establish IIUM was revealed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 12 January 1982 after deliberating with the Education Minister, senior government officers and senior academics from local universities. The university was officially established on 20 May 1983 by the Government of Malaysia. The philosophy of IIUM was inspired by the outcomes of the 1977 First World Conference on Muslim Education in Makkah. IIUM was founded under the Companies Act of 1965 that enabled it to use English and Arabic as the medium of instruction and enhance its global orientation. IIUM integrates Islamic values and world-view into its humanities, scientific and technical curricula, befitting its university slogan “The Garden of Virtue and Knowledge”. This is reflected in IIUM educational philosophy and its logo. IIUM aspires to restore the roles of Muslims in education and knowledge creation and acquisition and to contribute to the improvement of quality of life for all mankind. Befitting the Premier International Islamic Research University (PREMIER) status awarded by ISESCO on 17 December 2014, it provides an extensive, comprehensive learning environment conducive for conducting advanced research in various disciplines.It is the quality of the learning, comparative knowledge and research environments that attracted the high concentration of talent by which IIUM is known for.
