Flooding is one of the most frequent and disruptive hazards in Malaysia, particularly in rapidly urbanising areas such as the Klang Valley. Although flood mitigation efforts have largely focused on structural solutions, less attention has been given to how flooding is experienced and understood by different stakeholders at the local level. This study explores how community residents, a local non-governmental organisation leader, and an elected state assembly member perceive the causes of flooding, the effectiveness of response mechanisms, and pathways to resilience in Meru, Klang. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven purposively selected participants representing community, civil society, and policy perspectives. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis to examine shared and contrasting meanings across stakeholder groups. Six key themes were identified: the normalisation of flooding as a recurring condition, emotional strain and trauma, contested explanations of flood causes, varied coping and response systems, a policy–community disconnect, and perceived pathways to resilience. The findings indicate that although stakeholders commonly viewed flooding as an inevitable and recurring risk, they differed in how responsibility and solutions were understood. Residents emphasised maintenance and behavioural factors, the state assembly member highlighted infrastructure constraints, and the non-governmental organisation leader noted coordination challenges. Recurrent flooding was also associated with emotional fatigue and overlooked psychosocial impacts. In line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the findings highlight gaps in participatory governance and people-centred preparedness at the local level. The study concludes that strengthening flood resilience requires closer alignment between community experiences, institutional planning, and collaborative governance.

PurposeThis paper explores the underexamined human dimension of artificial intelligence in education (AIED) within open universities (OUs) in developing Asia, focusing on students’ critical AI literacy and how their insights may help shape more humanistic approaches that integrate ethical and sociopolitical concerns.Design/methodology/approachUsing the method of empathy-based stories (MEBS), responses were gathered from 44 postgraduate students at an OU in developing Asia, then thematically analysed and interpreted through critical discourses on technology and education.FindingsWhile most respondents demonstrate some degree of critical AI literacy, this is largely limited to a foundational level marked by curious scepticism. The study underscores the value of student input not merely as feedback but as epistemic contribution to humanistic AIED. It highlights students’ shared concern about preserving what they see as essential human qualities amid accelerating AI integration.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the limited research on the human dimension of AIED in OUs in developing Asia by centring the student body as key stakeholders and advocating a more humanistic approach. It also offers a novel methodological lens through MEBS to provide fresh insight into student engagement with critical AI literacy.

This study aims to investigate the reasons behind healthcare practitioners’ limited knowledge of Shariah principles and analyse how high operational costs impact the proper functioning of Shariah-approved hospitals. Using qualitative methods, the study used semi-structured interviews and field observations with five purposively selected health care professionals, hospital management and clinical staff who were directly engaged in Shariah-compliant practices. The results unveil essential discrepancies resulting from the dearth of specialised training and the unavailability of systematic, actionable guidelines articulating the implementation of Shariah norms in clinical spaces. Moreover, sourcing halal-certified medical supplies has a financial burden, impacting operational efficiency. To address this issue, the study proposed an integrated approach with three interconnected pillars: designing and instituting systematic Shariah-mindset training programmes; the use of Shariah-compliant financial mechanisms such as zakat and waqf for strategic financial utilisation; and establishing standardised operational guidelines specifically to develop Shariah compliance in the healthcare management approach.

Women's involvement in the highest leadership positions in Malaysia remains low. Various parties have made multiple efforts to enhance women's empowerment through opportunities in national leadership. This study examines the relevance of the theory of Maqasid al-Shariah as a foundation for developing a leadership model for women in Malaysia. Maqasid al-Shariah's theory, which outlines Islamic law's objectives, offers relevant principles to shape an inclusive leadership model. This qualitative study employs in-depth interviews with experts in Syariah and leadership. The hypothesis assumes that implementing an inclusive leadership model aligned with the principles of Maqasid al-Shariah results in greater social well-being and promotes gender equality in national leadership. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for designers of the women’s leadership model, policymakers, political leaders, and other stakeholders in their efforts to achieve gender equality and social justice in national leadership.

There is an increasing interest and effort in reorienting university curricula to address sustainability and preparing teachers to get involved in embedding sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in teaching and curricula enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Evidence shows that this interest and effort is often prevented by various barriers at three levels: teacher- level barriers, school-level barriers, and system-level barriers. In this study, the attempt was geared towards identifying the constituencies of these three levels of barriers and examining the extent to which they predict teachers’ motivation to embed sustainability and SDGs in various school subject areas, including arts-based education. A survey of 1253 teachers in Malaysia revealed that the teacher- and system-level barriers explain 83% of the motivation variance. By identifying, addressing, and investigating these barriers, higher education institutions—and especially teacher education—could be better informed in reorienting university curricula to embed ICT-enabled Education for Sustainability (ICTeEfS). These results were also used in planning and implementing in-service teacher training interventions in the context of a European Commission Erasmus+-funded project.

With an expansive flood-prone region, effectively managing risks, particularly those impacting residents in flood-prone communities, poses a significant challenge for Malaysia. Regular in-depth studies are essential to enable the country to anticipate and comprehend the emerging risks that capable of causing both loss of life and damage to properties and public infrastructure. This research aimed to investigate the dynamics of flood risk management and present recommendations for stakeholders in mitigating the consequences of flood events. Employing a qualitative approach, 13 participants, all flood victims residing in Meru, Klang, were purposefully selected. The participants were divided into two groups: the first group, comprising 5 participants, engaged in a focus group interview, while the second group, consisting of 8 participants, responded to open-ended questions. Both groups answered identical structured questions in both oral and written formats. Thematic Analysis (TA) was applied to analyse the data from these exercises. The findings revealed that flood risk management comprises four components: psychological risk, improper development risk, evacuation risk, and communal risk. The study recommends the implementation of a comprehensive flood mitigation plan covering pre-, during, and post-flood phases to address the specific requirements arising during flood events. It is hoped that this research contributes valuable insights to augment the existing flood management system, benefiting not only the victims but also all stakeholders involved in managing the impacts of flood events.

PurposeThis purpose of this paper is to explore the future of open universities (OUs), particularly in developing Asia, focusing on the potential risks associated with technological solutionism, or the popular belief that educational problems can be readily solved through technological means. This exploration is pertinent as the initial advantages that OUs once held have significantly diminished and competing higher education institutions worldwide are converging on a digital future.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative method of empathy-based stories (MEBS) was employed as the primary research method for drawing data from sampled OU teachers. The obtained data were parsed via textual analysis and the lens of critical discourses on technology and higher education.FindingsThe study shows that, in the future envisioned by the sampled OU teachers, students’ lack of privileged access to frontier technologies is no barrier to learning success. It also emphasises that learning outcomes have causality beyond technological determinism, and that educational problems, which OUs may deem as requiring technological solutions, are often non-technological in nature and require no technological fixes.Originality/valueCritiques of techno-solutionism, such as the present study, are virtually absent in the context of OUs in developing Asia. For this very reason, this study is vital and serves as a guardrail while these OUs seek to reformulate their respective value propositions in the time of global digital convergence.

Religion and religiosity are frequently explored topics in consumer behavior. It demonstrates how religion influences both individual and society views and behaviors. Religiosity has two dimensions: intrapersonal and interpersonal. It is one of the most influential variables in people's lives. This study aims to identify the level of intrapersonal and interpersonal religious commitment among respondents and the relationship between their religious commitment and choosing a shariah compliance hospital. This quantitative research involved 30 samples from OUM academic staff. The Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) developed by Worthington et al. (2003) was used to assess this religiosity. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess each construct's items. According to the findings of this study, the respondents have a high level of intrapersonal and interpersonal religious commitment, and there is a strong relationship between intrapersonal and interpersonal religious commitment. The study also found that religious commitment and choosing a Shariah Compliance Hospital have a significant moderate relationship.

Syariah Compliant Healthcare Services in a rather unique trend that emerged in Malaysia. It started in few decades ago when certain ‘Islamic’ hospitals started offering Syariah compliant services with the tag line “Ibadah Friendly Hospital”. Syariah Hospital of Islamic Hospital defined as hospital that provides health services in accordance with Syariah principles or in other words applying maqasid Syariah in hospital governance hospital. But a question remains, is there a necessity of Syariah compliant hospitals? And why it became a choice in the market. The research methodology used is qualitative based on content analysis technique to obtain data. This study seeks to find out the reason that motivates this choice by looking into the role of religiosity that is presumed to be the main reason for the choice. Based on the theory of reason action, a literature has been reviewed to construct tools to investigate Muslim attitude towards their intention to choose Syariah compliant hospital.

The role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the development of society has been the focus of academic study since the nineteenth century based on the positive contributions of the private sector in spearheading the general and specific roles in the society. The post-Cold War world has witnessed the emerging of NGOs as an alternative to the states due to the liberalization of global economy worldwide. It was since then the academic interest on this phenomenon has risen in particular in the late 1980s when NGOs has managed to replace governments’ role in reaching out to the people, or in other cases becoming the voice of the people before the governments. This study aims to explore the dynamic roles of NGOs in leading the change and reforms in the modern society and how Islamic organization could fit into the framework by critically looking into the experience of Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM), a Malaysian-based Islamic organization as a case study. While the results reveal some positive impacts on the society, they also exhibit some challenges and conflicts when the evolution reaches certain stages of time and space, illustrating the dynamic nature of IKRAM as both an Islamic organization and NGO with respect to strategies, resources and strategic actions.

Since the arrival of Islam in Tanah Melayu or Malaya, traditionalist scholars have dominated the Islamic discourse through their close relations with the rulers (Sultans). Their domination over the religious authorities and the Islamic educational institutions has shaped the state version of Islam in Malaysia. However, in Perlis, the northernmost state in Malaysia, Middle Eastern graduate reformists, also known as Kaum Muda, were already preaching the earliest version of Salafism in the early 20th century. They found political patronage from the rulers of the state, hence imposing their version of Islamic teachings as the prevailing Islamic discourse of the state, which is also known until today as the “Sunnah Perlis” teachings. The widely presumptuous masses and researchers point that the dominating influence of the reform agenda or “Sunnah” in the state of Perlis is due to the state authority’s patronage based on historical facts that the “Sunnah” itself first emerged in Perlis in the early 20th century with the blessings of the ruler. This article attempts to look at the historical development of the “Sunnah Perlis” and to scrutinize the state authority’s patronage and influence in the state of Perlis. To achieve this, it employs a historical method of study to look at important milestones in the historical account of the Sunnah reform agenda in Perlis and its development at different periods hitherto through literatures, reports, interviews, and focus group discussions.

Al-Ikhwanul Muslimun | Arab Springs | Mesir | Parti Ennahda | Rashid Al-Ghannouchi | Revolusi Jasmin | Tatakelola Kerajaan | Al-Ikhwanul Muslimun | Arabs | Egypt | Ennahda Party | Rashid Al-Ghannouchi | Good Governance | Jasmine Revolution

Over the last few decades, the contribution of Islamic Dakwah movement (IDM) in development and reform agenda has gained recognition, both locally and internationally. IDMs appear to be important actors in many developing countries. IDMs are usually characterized as independent from the government, involved in non-profit making activities and fighting for specific causes. This study aims to explore the dynamic roles of IDM in leading the changes and reforms in the modern society and how Islamic organizations could fit into the framework by critically looking into the experiences of Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM), a Malaysian-based Islamic organization as a case study. While the results reveal some positive impacts on the society, they also exhibit a number of challenges and conflicts when the evolution reaches certain stages of time and space, illustrating the dynamic nature of IKRAM as both an Islamic organization and NGO with regards to strategies, resources and strategic actions.

Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia, also known as JIM was established on July 20, 1990 with the aim to bring reform to Malaysian society. With the motto "(Together) With Islam (We) Build the Society", JIM aims in reforming the society to embrace the ideal of Syumuliyyah or understanding Islam as a complete way of life, and its implementation on the life of the society. It based its ideals mainly on the al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood)'s manhaj taghyir (means of reform), which starts with the building of individuals, then the families and ultimately the society. This paper will descriptively explain the philosophy of education adopted by Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) inspired by two major principles, Islah (reform) and Tarbiyyah (holistic education) through an inductive reading of literatures, modules and statements made by JIM from the year 1990 to 2000. This paper will also analytically investigate on the adherence of JIM to the principles and their articulation by looking into JIM's theoretical discourse and activities since its establishment until the year 2000.

This article aims to discuss the effects of treatment by injection on the rule of fasting. Previously, the issue of treatment has been the subject of debate among the fuqaha in assessing the impact of treatment on the ruling of fasting patients. This is because the medical treatment, which involves the insertion of something into acavity of the body has been considered nullified by the majority of fuqaha in the past. Also discussed are the basic principles underlying the assessment that can be applied to the assessment of the impact of other treatment methods on the ruling of fasting patients.This article is based on both library and field research. The library research focuses on collecting and analysing all the related information from both fiqh and the medical point of view. While the field research involved interviews with medical officers. This article found that treatments by injection are not considered as nullifiers of fasting except for the injections of food or drink in to the body.

This article is developed with the proposition that the classical literature of fiqh does not give an intensive or detailed definition of al-jawf which justifies fast breaking according to the rulings of fiqh from a scientific point of view. Due to the loose definition of al-jawf adopted by the classical fuqaha (jurists), the treatment of any kind of sickness is often viewed as nullifying fasting. Likewise, the classical unscientific and narrow definition of ?al-jawf? (cavitiy) has also been identified as another element that contributes towards the aforementioned old fiqh paradigm. Thus, this research aims to redefine the term al-jawf in details with its categories based on modern scientific discoveries within the framework of the fiqh rulings concerning fasting. Furthermore, the proposed framework will be applied to the situation of sick patients who observe their fasting during the treatments.

Allah menghendaki kemudahan pada kamu dan tidak mahu kesukaran ke atas dirimu. (Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 185) Penulis menghuraikan permasalahan ini berserta contoh dan membicarakan pelbagai perkara lain lagi berkenaan kesesuaian hukum mengikut waktu dan keadaan setempat. Buku ini membuka dimensi baru bagi umat Islam dalam kehidupan kontemporari dan memberikan alternatif mudah bagi mengamalkan Islam di mana sahaja. Bentuk penyampaiannya yang bersahaja dan ringan tidak seperti buku-buku fikah tradisional yang lain.