International Islamic University Of Malaysia Research Articles

JUDICIAL INTEGRITY IN STRENGTHENING THE NATION

Speech delivered at the Tan Sri Harun M Hashim Memorial Lecture 2023 on “Judicial Integrity in Strenghtening the Nation”, International Islamic University of Malaysia, 17th May 2023. 

OPPORTUNITIES OF THE ONLINE LEARNING FROM STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES: CASE STUDY IIUM STUDENTS

The Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly and had negative consequences on the most of the sectors in Malaysia. As a result of the enforcement of Movement Control Order (MCO) and the need to maintain a certain physical distance in order to combat the pandemic, universities and schools have temporarily closed. Online learning has completely replaced in-person learning in order to keep the educational process running as usual. This paper aims to discover the opportunities of online learning system from the perspective of students in International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) during pandemic via online survey. Based on previous literatures, a few factors that significantly contributed to the opportunities of online learning gained by the students, which are: 1) Course Content, 2) Course Assessment, 3) Social Interaction, 4) Instructor Characteristics, 5) Technological Skills and 6) Time Management. In this article, a research model and hypotheses also were developed prior to data analysis. The collected data were then analysed using SPSS to gain the results. The descriptive statistics, correlation analysis using Pearson Correlation Coefficients, and multiple regression analysis was conducted. The result of correlation and multiple regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable. Besides, two hypotheses were supported with the dependent variable which are Course Content and Course Assessment. The study also found that the best factor that has the highest influence on the opportunities of online learning in IIUM, which is Course Content. The results of the study contribute to the body of knowledge about the prospects of online learning by looking at the factors and their findings, which may be an important step to understand and improve the online learning system in the future.

Level of Students’ Retention Among International Students: Is Gender and Level of Study Make a Difference?

The study aims to identify to what extent integrated factors influence students’ retention. The research was conducted at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). The sample consists of 112 postgraduate students at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). The construct of retention factors measured is Islamic culture and the environment, psychological and health care services, community engagement and personality development, academic qualifications, university administration, and quality of life. The instrument was delivered to the respondents to obtain the data and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data obtained. In terms of instrument reliability, a high-reliability value was revealed for all retention factors which are greater than 0.7. The difference between the two groups in the aspect of gender and the academic level was analyzed by an independent sample t-test. The results show that there is a significant difference in the academic level of postgraduate and undergraduate for all retention factors while no significant difference was found in terms of gender difference for all retention factors. The result also showed that the students have a positive opinion on the aspect of the Islamic environment, teaching effectiveness, and the quality of life on the IIUM campus. Meanwhile, the lower mean scores in psychological and health care services and university administration aspects implied that the students less favor the services of psychological needs and health care in IIUM as well as they have a low opinion in terms of the administration of IIUM.

Whole-Genome Sequence of a Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Isolate from Tap Water in an Intensive Care Unit

Here, we present a 4,508,936-bp complete genome sequence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain HW002Y, which was isolated from the tap water in an intensive care unit at Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia). Sequencing was performed using a Nanopore Flongle flow cell.

Cardiovascular Disease Risks Among Medical Students in A Public University

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health problem, with hazards evident even in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to measure the knowledge, attitude and practice of young medical students at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) with regards to CVD, their CVD risk score and its associated factors. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 247 preclinical students from March to July 2019. Validated self-reported questionnaires were used which includes sociodemographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of CVD. A standardized scales were used to measure body mass index (BMI), digital sphygmomanometer for measuring blood pressure and blood glucose test kit for random blood sugar. CVD risk score was calculated based on a 30-years risk Framingham simple model of calculation using BMI. Univariate analysis and linear regression were used to identify the significant predictors. Results: The mean age was 21 (SD = 1.016) years old. 13.4 % of the students had elevated CVD risk scores. Prevalence central obesity, abnormal random blood glucose and abnormal BMI were 35.2%, 70.4% and 40.5% respectively. The participants scored good marks in KAP (97.6%). The relationship between CVD risk score with increasing age, male gender, smoking, increasing weight, low height, increased BMI and high systolic blood pressure were significant. Conclusion:The major risks of cardiovascular disease are widely distributed among students. Despite being in medical school and having a decent KAP score, there are smokers and students who live a sedentary lifestyle.

Editorial

Editorial Ilham Nasser and Nuraan Davids Human development is about people, their interactions and dreams, as well as their beliefs, worldviews, and identities. It is also about the emotions and insights of being human, our sense of hope and fear, and our collective vulnerability as we continually strive to look for a better future. For some this means the right to be who they are, to live where they were born. For others, it means breaking from cycles of poverty and despair. Our privileges as the coeditors of this journal extend beyond access to an array of textual submissions from around the globe to a state of enrichment and hope in education. With each submission comes profound research endeavors toward new considerations and reimagined possibilities for those who are visible and invisible. Each submission confirms our belief in people's potential to transform their lives as individuals and groups. And to do so, we emphasize the intersection between human development and education as critical for improving lives, nourishing well-rounded individuals, and creating caring societies and communities. This issue takes a broad human development view on life, from the early years all the way to adulthood and death. More specifically we emphasize the legacy people leave behind when they dedicate their lives to improving the human development trajectory, especially in Muslim societies, as in the case of the late professor Dr. Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman, who left us toward the end of last year. In this issue we celebrate his life and accomplishments. This issue also is the first that includes articles prepared through a mentoring program that the editorial team initiated to support junior scholars whose English is not their academic language and to raise their voices through sharing their work in mainstream academic journals such as JEMS. We consider our mentoring program as a necessary enactment of our responsibility to human development. Too many voices are left silent, too many lives are unknown because of barriers, which are easily removable if we are prepared to step into the unknown. The editors determine the quality of the manuscripts submitted and select those that align with the journal's mission and areas of focus and share innovative and unique perspectives. This mentoring model empowers rising scholars to contribute their work and share it widely. Along with this, we have provided some guidelines including a detailed manual and a videorecording, prepared by [End Page 1] Anastasia Khawaja, to help scholars prepare their manuscripts for submission (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSuhiCczArM). This is part of our commitment to the human development theme, in general, and the scholarly exchanges needed to reform education and improve scientific inquiries in Muslim academic circles and research circles. We do continue our exploration of topics such as policy, pedagogy, and the best learning processes specific to Muslim youth and education. These as well as a discussion of educational approaches, such as a holistic curriculum and its manifestation in Islamic education, are critical for reform of education and for strengthening a sense of identity and belonging among Muslim educators and students in secondary and higher education. Questions such as how do we teach youth about coping mechanisms in conflict situations, and what are the impacts of learning modalities on young students, are of interest in this issue. We also keep searching for ways to advance high-quality studies and share them with our readership. This issue commemorates the late Dr. Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman, one of the founders of IIIT, by sharing a review of Dr. AbuSulayman's major scholarly contributions as a researcher and educator and by conducting an interview with Dr. Hisham Altalib, the President of IIIT and a close colleague of the late professor. In the special article, Professor Abdelaziz Berghout, the Dean of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), names AbuSulayman's books and major accomplishments, especially his work during the many years he spent at IIUM on enhancing the integration of Islamic revealed knowledge and human sciences and the Islamization of disciplines. In the interview, conducted by our book reviews editor, Alyaa Ebbiary, Dr. Altalib provides meaningful insights and a lot of history...

The Effectiveness of the Islamic Input in Medical Practice (IIMP) in Improving the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Medical Students in Malaysia. A 5-year Prospective Study

Introduction; In order to produce well-rounded medical doctors in the future, Islamic-based Medical schools in Malaysia and other parts of the world are implementing a special approach in their curricula. The main vision of these medical schools is instillation of Islamic values in their curricula. In International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), a special curriculum namely Islamic Input in Medical Practice (IIMP) was introduced for this purpose. The importance of this study is to measure the effectiveness of this program on the aspects of knowledge, attitude and practice among our students. Materials & Methods: We follow up a total of 142 students for 5 years duration. The first assessment was done right at the enrolment to the medical program and the second assessment by using the similar questionnaire was done after 5 years upon completion of their course. Results: From a total number of students 145 from initial assessment, only a total of 102 medical students completed second time. The remaining number were excluded due to either incomplete forms and delay the academic progress due to failure of subjects. The mean different between pre and post shows a significant improvement in all 3 measured aspects (p<0.001 to 0.022).  Conclusion: The 5-year evidence shows our IIUM program is effective to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice.

Mapping IIUM Students’ English Language Writing Proficiency to CEFR

The goal of this research was to determine the English language writing skills of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) graduating undergraduates based on two linguistic levels; the IIUM English Proficiency Test (EPT) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), based on two descriptors: IIUM’s EPT descriptor, and CEFR’s ‘General linguistic range’ descriptor (Council of Europe, 2001, p 110). The EPT results show that the majority (48 %) of the English language writing skills of IIUM undergraduates were in Band 6, while Band 5.5, Band 5 and Band 4, respectively, ranked 31.3%, 4.9% and 0.4%. On the other hand, Band 8, Band 7 and Band 6.5 were attained by 0.2%, 2.4% and 12.2% of undergraduates. A significant proportion of IIUM undergraduates (46.3 %) were found to be at Level B2 + when assessed against the CEFR scale for the ‘General linguistic range.’ At the same time, 2.2%, 12.4%, 33.9 and 5.2% of students were at Level C2, C1, B2, B1 +, respectively. The results also showed that a mere 0.2% was at Level B1. This research also showed that despite some inaccuracies and improper uses, IIUM students could write effectively and understand and use reasonably complicated language, particularly in familiar situations. Based on the CEFR scale for ‘General linguistic range’, the results of this study show that IIUM graduating undergraduates could clearly articulate themselves in their writing.

Preface

It has been a tremendous experience to organize the 6th International Conference of Science, Technology, and Interdisciplinary Research (IC-STAR 2020). The annual international conference is held in conjunction with other conferences throughout series of event spanning from October to December 2020. The scope of IC-STAR 2020 includes chemical and biotechnology, civil and environmental, computer science and information technology, electrical and communications, materials sciences, industrial engineering, mechanical and aerospace, geodetic and geophysics, applied mathematics and physic sciences, and also the interdisciplinary research. IC-STAR conference series intend to integrate engineering and life sciences fields in order to provide a cross section roadmap from basic research, technological and developments, processes development, and their applications and integrity in the real-world usage.The event’s series started with a virtual event which is hosted at Universitas Lampung, in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, on 20 – 21 October 2020. The conference featured Keynote Speakers list of Prof. Ahmad Saudi Samosir (Universitas Lampung, Indonesia), Prof. Rizalman Mamat (Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia), Prof. Sunny J. Kalayathankal (K. E. College, India), Prof. Naoya Kasai (Yokohama National University, Japan) and Prof. Gavin Brown (Auckland University, New Zealand). During the event, there are about 50 authors presenting their papers in oral presentation.The series proceeded with another virtual event hosted at Institut Teknologi Bandung, in Bandung, Indonesia, on 25-26 November 2021 by ICASA-MATRIX. Keynote Speakers for the conference were Prof. Koji Shimoyama (Tohoku University, Japan), Prof. Erry YT Adesta (International Islamic University of Malaysia, Malaysia), Prof. Tatacipta Dirgantara (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia) and Prof. Bambang Kismono Hadi (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia). There were about 40 oral presentations during the event.The series concluded with a virtual event jointly hosted and supported by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Curtin University Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, and Universitas Lampung, on 8 – 9 December 2021. The Keynote Speakers were Prof. Hadi Nur (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia), Prof. Ramesh Singh (Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam), Dr. Rino Rakhmata Mukti (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia), Prof. Mohammed Rafiq Abdul Kadir (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia), Prof. M. Akbar Rhamdhani (Swinburne University, Australia) and Prof. Ahad Ali (Lawrence Technological University, USA). There were about 80 oral presentations in the event.We appreciate all distinguished speakers and all authors who presented during the conference series. We also acknowledge the effort of all committees, including all reviewers, for their contribution to the conference series and in making this proceeding. Thank you and hope to see you in future events of the conference series.Publication and Proceeding EditorsIrza Sukmana (Universitas Lampung, Indonesia)Khairuddin (Universitas Lampung, Indonesia)Seri Rahayu Ya’akub (Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam)Fethma M Nor (Curtin University, Malaysia)Taufiq Mulyanto (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia)Muhammad Hanif (Universitas Lampung, Indonesia)

AWARENESS, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS COVID-19 AMONG IIUM STUDENTS

The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than two million people within a year. The deadly virus brings chaotic problems to every layer of society, including university students. The main goal of this study is to investigate the awareness regarding COVID-19 among International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) students. This study examines the awareness, perception, and involvement of the IIUM community to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the scare. A qualitative research design was employed, using an interview method through purposive sampling procedure as the research instrument used for the data collection. A total of eight respondents, including international and local university students, participated in the study. The study adopted the situational theory of publics by Grunig (1966) to guide the study. This study found that IIUM local students have adequate information and awareness regarding COVID-19. However, future efforts should be aimed at enhancing awareness campaigns among the IIUM international students in Malaysia. The findings of the study will have implications on awareness, perception, and behaviour during a virus outbreak.

From Streamlining to Mainstreaming “Islamization of Knowledge”

Founded in 1983, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) has been a laboratory of “Islamization of Human Knowledge” (IoK). Looking at theoretical models and practical applications of IIUM, this article unfolds the passage from a generation of faculty who established the “IoK” paradigm in order to streamline it, to a new generation that seeks to mainstream it. The aim is to show that this transition has been made possible due to the employment of Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah, and yet, despite this possibility, this shift is and will continue to be, accompanied with some contradictions, tensions, and shortages. This article concludes by highlighting three points: the extent to which IIUM succeeded in producing professionally-trained versus Islamically-oriented graduates; the level of success IoK mainstreaming has had using the Maqāṣidic approach; and, finally, how the implementation of the IoK paradigm may be impeding pluralism.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON QUALITY TIME SPENT WITH FAMILY AMONG IIUM STUDENTS

This study was conducted to determine social media usage and its influence on the quality time spent with family among the students of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). The objectives of the study are to determine: (a) the exposure to social media use; (b) the level of perception, attitude, and behavior towards social media use, and the quality time spent with family; and (c) the relationships of perception, attitude, and behaviour towards social media use with the quality time spent with family. Time displacement theory was used to explain the relationship between the variables. The quantitative research design was employed using a network sampling survey method, with a questionnaire as a tool for data collection. A total of 210 respondents participated in this study. The findings of the study revealed that WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media platform, followed by YouTube, E-mail, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram. The levels of perception, attitude, and behavior towards social media usage and the quality of time spent with family are high and significant. Perception, attitude, and behavior were found to show a significant positive correlation with social media usage and the quality time spent with family. Thus, this study suggests that students should allocate the time they spend on social media for their families.

ATTRIBUTES OF STUDENT LEADERS IN IIUM TOWARDS VOTING

Leadership is an essential aspect that people and communities worldwide depend on to make important decisions. The core function of leaders is to aid and support their followers to accomplish a common goal. The International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) has been voting student leaders since its inception. These student leaders help in the administration of student affairs in several aspects. This study aims to examine the attributes of IIUM student leaders towards voting. Specifically, it aims to determine the relationships of qualities, characteristics, important ideal qualities of student leaders, and Islamic principles of leaders with voting in IIUM. The study utilizes the great man’s theory of leadership to explain the relationships between the variables. The quantitative research design and survey method with a questionnaire as the tool for data collection were used in this research. A total of 327 IIUM students participated in this study. The findings of the study reveal that students look at their leaders in a positive and motivating way. They view the leaders as consistently performing an excellent leadership job and have good values through different characteristics, with important qualities and Islamic leadership principles. Additionally, students tend to consider both inbuilt and external attributes while voting for their leaders to be in power. The findings also show the presence of significant relationships among the variables of the study. The great man’s theory is also supported in this study.

Deconstructing orthographic knowledge and cultural awareness of miswak practice amongst dental educators: Benefits and barriers: A qualitative study

Aim: Miswak is a chewing stick used for oral hygiene and has both cultural and religious heritage. Concerns have emerged about the limitation of evidences on its effectiveness and guidance to practice. This study aims to explore dental educators’ perceived level of knowledge and awareness of Miswak practice and teaching as oral hygiene tool. Materials and Methods: Dental educators with various socio-religious demographic backgrounds at International Islamic University of Malaysia(IIUM) University were invited to participate in an audio-taped focus group discussion in 2017, conducted in English using a pre-tested topic guide. The qualitative data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a Framework Analysis. Results: The dental educators (n = 11) from various socio-religious and educational backgrounds demonstrated low-medium level of knowledge on Miswak given there are limited, restricted, and localized evidences, influenced by their culture, religious values, and past educational training and several domains of practice. This has an implication on their low level of awareness to practice Miswak considering the fact that the barrier identified is more than its benefit. Furthermore, there was a strong mixed sense of valuing evidence-based knowledge and cultural–religious belief among dental educators of postmodern society in meeting both oral health needs and social expectations. Conclusions: Educators of postmodern society with western educational background view metaphorically the level of knowledge and awareness of Miswak usage, although most of them are Asian and Muslim. A flexible strategy is needed to overcome the poor dissemination of Miswak evidence to further educate dental educators in order to frame a Miswak educational guideline for the benefit of society.

Malezya'daki Dişhekimliği Öğrencilerinin Kısa Dönem Kariyer Hedefleri: Yeni İstihdam Politikası Sonrası

It is important to revisit career aspirations of emerging dental graduates for a better workforce flexibility due to dynamic changes in employment policies for Malaysia. The aims of this study are to explore current students’ short career aspirations and the perceived influences, and whether their aspirations vary according to students’ characteristics. All final year dental students who registered in 2017/2018 academic year in International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire (n=64). The instrument explored the students’ motivation, short and long-term career aspirations and influences using mixture of open and closed-questions. Data were analysed using SPSS, including Chi-Squared test for linear association. The response rate was very high (97%). The majority were aged 25 years (63%), female (71%), all Malays and come from high-income families (38%). In regard to their short-term aspiration, the participants mostly chose ‘gain knowledge/skill/experience’ (39%); followed by ‘undertaking specialist training’ (27%) and ‘getting a permanent job’ (20%). ‘Achieving financial stability’ (80.6%), ‘gaining professional experience’ (80.6%), and ‘balance of work-life’ (73%) are their greatest influences. Notably, ‘having a break from study’ showed significant difference by family income (p=0.03). Furthermore, more male students anticipated to work in private sector (p=0.03). There is a shift with the most significant short-term career aspirations for these students to enhance knowledge, skill and experiences, rather than training for specialisation to secure financial and professional stability; and work-life balance. The students’ short-term career expectations varied based on the students’ family income and gender.

From Islamic Input in Medical Program to Islamic Medical Practice: The Journey from Kulliyyah of Medicine to IIUM Medical Centre

The journey to develop Islamic medical practice was started in Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) in 1997 with the Islamic input in Medicine Program (IIMP). The program has mature from series of lectures to a more interactive and practical teaching method over the last 2 decades. The program was later extended to the clinical post graduate clinical students in the form of discussion of its application in medical practice. The establishment of IIUM Medical Centre (IIUM MC) gives the opportunity for IIUM to practice what it’s have thought in the classroom in the real environment. This article discuss the possible methods how IIMP can be practice in IIUM MC.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Dengue among Kuantan Medical Campus Students of International Islamic University of Malaysia

Background: Dengue has become an important public health problem in the world. It is an infectious disease caused by dengue virus and transmitted by Aedes mosquito. The understanding the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the general community on dengue prevention are helpful to give information for good strategic planning and engaged the community with dengue control. The knowledge on preventive measures in dengue is important to decrease the mortality rate, but the implementation of knowledge among individuals to reduce dengue is still an issue.
 Study Objectives: This study aims to examine the KAP regarding dengue among IIUM Kuantan students. Besides that, this study also aims to find the factors associated with KAP of dengue and to assess the relationship between KAPs regarding dengue among IIUM Kuantan students.
 Methods: This study used cross-sectional study, and 135 respondents were selected by using convenience sampling method. The questionnaire consists of 67 questions which were divided into four parts (socio-demographic characteristic, knowledge regarding dengue, the attitude of dengue and practice on prevention of dengue). In this study, to evaluate the KAP of dengue among students in IIUM Kuantan. Independent t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test, and Pearson test were used to find all related factors influencing KAP of dengue.
 Results: This study shows that the level of KAP of dengue among students in IIUM Kuantan was relatively high. All the respondents have very good level of KAP towards dengue prevention, symptoms and transmission. There was a significant difference in attitude among marital statuses (p=0.004). The students from FOM had better knowledge (p=<0.001) as compared to FOD and better attitude scores than KOP (p=0.001). This study also depicted that dengue knowledge-attitude towards dengue prevention was significantly correlated (p=0.005).
 Conclusion: the KAP regarding dengue among IIUM Kuantan students was good.
 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(2) 2020 p.245-253

Oral Health Related Quality of Life Among Adult Patients Attending Periodontal Clinic in Kuliyyah of Dentistry IIUM Kuantan

Introduction: There was lack of local study assessing the oral health related quality of life (OHRQOL) of patients with periodontal diseases. Hence, this study aims to assess the OHRQOL and its associated factors in adult patients who were diagnosed with gingivitis and periodontitis. Material and method: This was a cross sectional study conducted from May to December 2018 among 100 participants attended Periodontal Clinic, Kulliyyah of Dentistry of International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) using purposive sampling methods. Clinical parameters of participants were recorded by a single examiner then followed by a selfadministered questionnaire using the validated short version of Oral Health Impact Profile(S-OHIP) (Malay) to assess the OHRQOL and its associated factors. The OHRQOL of participants were reported using mean and standard deviation. The factors associated with OHRQOL were determined using independent t-test and Spearman correlation test. Results: The mean score for S-OHIP was 14.73 ± 9.24. Participants with periodontitis have higher S-OHIP score compared to those with gingivitis. There were significant association between OHRQOL and underlying diabetes mellitus, self-perceived oral health status and self-perceived oral health satisfaction with p value < 0.05. This shows that those with underlying diabetes mellitus have higher S-OHIP score indicated poorer OHRQOL. Meanwhile, those who perceived they have either good or very good oral hygiene and satisfied with their oral health have lower S-OHIP score indicated better OHRQOL. Conclusion: This study found that periodontal diseases have significant association with the OHRQOL. Therefore, reinforcement of oral health education by the dentists is crucial.

Phenomenological Case Study of Spiritual Connectedness in the Academic Workplace

The field of workplace spirituality is plagued by problems of definition due to the ambiguity of the term “spirituality” from the Western perspective. As workplace spirituality is by nature an ephemeral phenomenon approachable from multiple perspectives, this study approaches this topic from the Islamic perspective. The inductive research method chosen is a combination of phenomenology and qualitative case study. Phenomenology is chosen as it describes the meaning for individuals of their lived experiences of a phenomenon. The International Islamic University of Malaysia is chosen as the case study due to its prominence as a premier global Islamic university. In-depth interviews with academics, both local and international, of the International Islamic University of Malaysia are the primary method of data collection. Thirteen academics, six males and seven females, from this university have been interviewed for this purpose. Findings suggest that spiritual connectedness is about the relationship with Allah and the relationship with human beings (habluminallah wa habluminannas), God consciousness (taqwa), sense of belonging, doing for the sake of Allah, brotherhood (ukhuwwah), inviting towards what is good and forbidding from wrong (amar ma’ruf nahi mungkar) and ihsan. The implication of these findings highlights the understanding of Muslim academics of what being spiritually connected mean to them personally. The contribution of this study is to enrich the literature on workplace spirituality by exploring the Islamic perspective of spiritual connectedness and to understand first-hand how being spiritually connected is defined by Muslim academics.

International Conference on Biodiversity 2018

PREFACEAssalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa BarakatuhOn behalf of the organizing committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the International Conference on Biodiversity (ICB 2018). This conference is hosted by the Centre of Research for Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources (COR-SUNR), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and jointly organized with Universitas Gadjah Mada, Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) and supported by Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources Malaysia (KATS).The theme for this year is ‘Biodiversity: Beyond Borders’ which is chosen to reflect the manner of biodiversity knowledge that transcends boundaries of academics and industry. We believe that this conference will provide an excellent platform for exchange of scientific knowledge and research experiences.Selected papers from ICB 2018 will be published in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science which are indexed in several databases such as SCOPUS, Thomson Reuters and Web of Science. We hope these open access publications can contribute to the growing literature on biodiversity and its applications.We are especially grateful to all of the speakers: Prof. Dr. Menno Schilthuizen from Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the Netherlands; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rina Sri Kasiamdari, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono and Dr. Eko Agus Suyono from Universitas Gadjah Mada; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maizatun Mustafa from International Islamic University of Malaysia and Prof. Dato’ Dr. Tajuddin Abdullah from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu for their willingness to share a snapshot of their field of expertise. We also would like to acknowledge the members of scientific committee who reviewed all the submissions as well as the organizing committee who have worked tirelessly for the past year to organize this conference. We are also grateful to all our sponsors and collaborators. On behalf of the committee members, I apologize for any shortcomings in organizing this conference.Finally, I wish the best of luck to those who are presenting in this conference.Thank you.PROF. EMERITUS DATIN DR. MARYATI MOHAMEDChairpersonInternational Conference on Biodiversity (ICB2018)