Gombak, 17 July 2025 — The Office of the Legal Adviser (OLA), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), hosted a delegation from Russia to explore opportunities for academic and legal collaboration between the two countries attended by senior officials from IIUM and prominent representatives of Russian academia.
The Russian delegation comprised Prof. Taliya Khabrieva, PhD, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation, and Ms. Anastasia Shanshina, Executive Director of the International Business Affairs Department, Synergy University, Russia.
Representing IIUM were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sonny Zulhuda, Covering Legal Adviser, along with Prof. Dr. Ida Madieha Abdul Ghani Azmi (Dean, AIKOL), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Majdah Zawawi (Deputy Dean, Academic, AIKOL), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Yazid Zul Kepli (Deputy Dean, Students and Alumni, AIKOL), Dr. Mohamad Al-Shobake (Head, Department of Islamic Law, AIKOL), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ashurov Sharofiddin (IIIBF). Officers from OLA, Ms. Aishah Nazura Rosli and Mr. Mohammad Haikal Adnin Mohd Naim, were also in attendance.
The session began with a welcome address by Dr. Sonny, who conveyed greetings on behalf of IIUM Rector, Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Osman Bakar, and introduced the attendees.
In her remarks, Prof. Khabrieva highlighted Russia’s growing interest in strengthening academic connections with Muslim and Asian communities. She emphasised that closer ties with ASEAN, especially under Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2025, would provide an important platform for legal and intellectual collaboration. She also expressed keen interest in Malaysia’s Islamic legal system.
The discussions focused on areas of mutual academic engagement. IIUM’s representatives shared Malaysia’s experience in Islamic constitutional law, human rights in Islam, Islamic humanitarian law, Islamic finance, anti-corruption law, ASEAN trade law, and Islamic ethics on technology and artificial intelligence.
Prof. Khabrieva further extended an invitation to IIUM scholars to participate in the upcoming Annual Congress on International Law in Moscow, scheduled for December 2025, as a starting point for future research collaboration between IIUM and Russian institutes. The meeting concluded with the exchange of souvenirs and a photo session, symbolising the goodwill and spirit of cooperation between IIUM and the Russian delegation.