Flying, Rome, Rentap: One Malaysian Professor’s Expanding Universe

Rakyat Post : IIUM Arabic language lecturer Professor Solehah Yaacob claimed Iban warrior Rentap was Malay and descended from Hang Tuah — the latest in a string of controversial historical assertions that have drawn ridicule, parliamentary debate, and calls for academic accountability.

By Fernando Fong  

When Professor Solehah Yaacob, an Arabic language lecturer at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), claimed that Iban warrior Rentap was Malay and a descendant of the legendary Malaccan figure Hang Tuah, Sarawak pushed back hard.

“Such claims are not only factually wrong but also show a blatant disregard for the heritage and identity of the Iban people,” said Peter John Jaban, founder of Sarawak for Sarawakians.

He also questioned why an Arabic linguistics specialist was making claims about Borneo’s indigenous history. The backlash was fierce — but it was not the first time Solehah had started a national controversy.

In a mosque lecture delivered in December 2022, later uploaded to YouTube in October 2025, she claimed ancient Romans learned shipbuilding from the Malays.

Professor Emeritus Wan Ramli Wan Daud, a historian of Malay technology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), said there was no archaeological or historical evidence to support the claim.

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