PUTRAJAYA, Sept 19 — Selangor aims to become one of the leaders in promoting Islamic intellectual heritage, while serving as a bridge connecting the region’s rich scholarly traditions.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the effort is important to highlight the rich history of Islamic intellectual thoughts in the region and revive the scholarly traditions that once flourished.
“Let us not assume that the history of Islamic scholarship lies only in the Middle East. The Nusantara itself has a very rich intellectual history. Melaka was once a meeting point of the world. Aceh, Java and Pattani were once centres of knowledge production.
“We have great names such as Hamzah Fansuri, Nuruddin al-Raniri, Sheikh Daud al-Fatani, Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani and many others.
“We need to study them again, not merely to take pride in the fact that we once had great scholars, but to understand how Nusantara societies at one time developed education, governance, thought, culture and religious life,” he said.
He said this when delivering his speech at the National Turath Scholars Muzakarah opening ceremony, in conjunction with the 2026 Malaysian Islamic Turath Festival (FTIM) at Kompleks Seri Perdana here today, which was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
At the same event, Amirudin also attended the Turath Scholars Muzakarah Forum, featuring former Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Prof Dr Ali Jum’ah and prominent Moroccan scholar Sheikh Prof Dr Sayyid Idris al-Fasi al-Fihri.
Amirudin said the development of the Islamic Turath Festival from the Selangor level to the national stage carries a greater responsibility to mainstream Islamic scholarly traditions in the society.
He said the effort should also bring turath knowledge closer to the younger generation and translate the heritage into forms that are relevant to addressing contemporary issues.
“For me, this change is not merely a change of name. It is an increase in responsibility. What we previously pursued in Selangor is now being opened up to Malaysia, and we hope Malaysia can in turn become a bridge to the Islamic world and the Nusantara world.”
FTIM 2026, themed “Wisdom of Islamic Heritage”, is being held from September 13 to 20 with 42 events, after its venue was moved from the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in Shah Alam to Putra Mosque in Putrajaya.
The festival also brings together 23 local and international figures, while programmes throughout the festival are being streamed live on social media platforms.
