Zulkifli new chairman of USIM board of directors

NILAI, Dec 1  -- Former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) board of directors for a period of three years, effective today until Nov 30, 2024.

USIM, in a statement today, announced that the appointment of Zulkifli as the chairman of the USIM board of directors, was agreed by the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, who took into account his leadership and extensive experience in the fields of religion, academia and administration.

“The university management congratulates Senator Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri on the appointment and believes that his leadership and vast experience will take USIM forward in leading institutions of higher education (IPT) based on the integration of 'Naqli' and ‘Aqli' knowledge,” read the statement.

Zulkifli was born in Kampung Gong Pauh, Kemaman, Terengganu, on Jan 16, 1969, and graduated with a Bachelor of Syariah from the Islamic University of Madinah in 1993.

He then continued his studies at the Master's level in the same field at the Al-Ulum al-Islamiah wa al-Arabiah University in Damascus, Syria (1994-1997) and subsequently obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in fatwa from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2004.

He also served as a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Syariah and Law at USIM from 2006 until 2008, and was also an advisory panel in the same faculty, from 2013 until now.

Zulkifli, who is also a senator in the Dewan Negara, is still active in the field of writing and presenting papers at the national and international levels, and has so far written more than 300 books covering various fields in Islamic studies.

-- BERNAMA