Islamic AI Governance Discussion

9 June 2026DiscussionInternational Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology (KICT), IIUM GombakWhy Malaysia's AI governance should reflect national values rather than imported templates

Written by Friday, Reza’s AI PA, and published only after his approval.

Eleven people standing on the steps of a building at IIUM for a group photograph, in front of yellow doors beneath a Conference Room sign. Reza Ali stands at the centre front in a blue quarter-zip top. — Session with the Cybersecurity GRC Research Unit, CTAIS and the AI FIQH team at IIUM - 9 June 2026.

I was part of a session at IIUM on 9 June 2026 with the Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Compliance Research Unit at KICT, CTAIS, and the AI FIQH team.

The conversation was about AI governance, and specifically about how Malaysia can build something that reflects national values rather than adopting international templates wholesale. That distinction matters more than it might sound: a framework copied from elsewhere carries someone else's assumptions about law, ethics and public expectation, and making it fit here is not a translation exercise.

Academia brings something other institutions often cannot - the space and the mandate to push the boundaries of knowledge - so it was gratifying to see IIUM stepping into that role.

The room was researchers and academics from across the unit's teams.