The Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (; Jawi: ; officially abbreviated as IKIM) is a Malaysian Islamic organisation and a government agency under the Prime Minister's Department. Established in 1992, its role is to provide an accurate understanding of Islam and conducts in-depth studies on Islamic teachings and interpretations. It also operates its own radio station, IKIMfm.
History The idea for IKIM was first proposed by the then-fourth Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad when he expressed his intent to set up a think tank dedicated to and responsible for improving the Islamic understanding amongst Malaysians.
His idea led to the establishment of IKIM on 18 February 1992 as a company limited by guarantee under the currently-repealed 1965 Companies Act with the aim to provide an accurate understanding of Islam through various programs and activities such as research, seminars, workshops, forums, consultations, training and publications. Its goal is to provide a true Islamic understanding while maintain the purity of true Islamic teachings without touching on rhetorical matters or deviating from the right path and improved the Islamic understanding among Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia.
It began operations on 3 July 1992 and officiated by Mahathir at the Tun Hussein Onn Hall, the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur. The Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid become its first Chairman, while the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) professor, Ismail Ibrahim become its first Director-General. Upon its establishment, IKIM organised the two-day congress, Towards the 21st Century: Islam and Vision 2020, also held at the PWTC.
Headquarters When IKIM was first established in 1992, its headquarters were proposed to be operated at the government house building on Jalan Lapangan Terbang Lama, Sungai Besi, but it rented and occupied space in Damansara Town Centre, Kuala Lumpur to be used as a temporary office. Since the land in Sungai Besi was not suitable to be occupied, IKIM was allocated a new site in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur covering an area of approximately seven acres. Construction of its headquarters began at the end of 1992 and cost RM7.3 million and was fully completed in January 1994. IKIM moved to its current headquarters at Jalan Langgak Tunku, off Jalan Duta and was officiated by Mahathir.
Leadership
Chairman +No.NameTook officeLeft office1.Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid15 March 199231 August 20092.Abdullah Ahmad Badawi1 September 200931 August 20183.Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid4 February 201928 August 20214.Mohd Kamal Hassan24 February 20227 May 20235.Muhammad Nur Manuty8 May 202326 June 2025
Director-General +No.NameTook officeLeft office1.Ismail Ibrahim16 April 199231 March 20022.Abdul Monir Yaacob1 April 200231 May 20053.Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas1 June 20051 August 20094.Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan2 August 200931 August 20155. Azizan Baharuddin1 September 201531 August 20216.Mohamed Azam Mohd Adil3 February 2022present
Publications IKIM, through its publishing arm, Penerbit IKIM, is responsible for the publication of books, journals and other works in Malay and English by the institute's researchers. Its publishing works are published in newspapers and magazines and are available in electronic and print versions, through the bookstore located within the institute and the IKIM Niaga website.
See also Islam in Malaysia
References
External links