Staff Directory


Syaza Farhana Binti Mohamad Shukri

Academic Qualification

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) - Doctor of Philosophy, International Islamic University Malaysia
  • Master of Science in Comparative Politics (Democracy) - Masters Degree, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Bachelor of Arts - Bachelor Degree, University of Pittsburgh

Syaza Farhana Binti Mohamad Shukri (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)

Associate Professor
IIUM Gombak Campus

ABDULHAMID ABUSULAYMAN KULLIYYAH OF ISLAMIC REVEALED KNOWLEDGE AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Other's position:

Head, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

syazashukri@iium.edu.my
6052


Expert Profile


Syaza Shukri is an associate professor at IIUM doing research on political science. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore from December 2023 until April 2024, and a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the European Centre for Populism Studies. 

Her area of specialization is in comparative politics, specifically in political Islam and democratization in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with recent focus on her home country of Malaysia. She has published numerous articles and book chapters based on her doctoral research and other interests including in the areas of populism, identity politics, and geopolitics, focusing on Malaysia and the Muslim world in general. Her latest edited book published with Emerald Publication came out in July 2023 titled Pandemic, Politics, and a Fairer Society in Southeast Asia: a Malaysian Perspective.

She has received funding for research projects in inter-ethnic relations in Malaysia (university grant), gender discrimination at the workplace (national grant), Maqasid al-Shariah in politics (international grant) and a comparative study of the Muslim world (international grant). She has also received funding for a consultation with an international organization for a project on political Islam in Malaysia.

Syaza has also been invited to share her views on various matters with the European Centre for Populism Studies based in Brussels, Ummatics based in the UK, Asialink which is part of the University of Melbourne, the Asia Centre in Thailand, Wanita Berdaya Selangor, Institute of Research and Development Policy in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Parliament, and Qatar University’s Office for Research and Graduate Studies. She has also been invited by scholars from different parts of the world, including Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, to collaborate on various projects. 

Her expert opinion has been sought by the likes of Bloomberg, Germany's ARD, Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, the Anadolu Agency in Turkey, Sinar Daily, New Straits Times, the Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini and BFM, among others. She is regularly featured on Malaysia's state TV, RTM.


She graduated summa cum laude (with highest honour) for her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, USA, with a double-major in political science and history. She received her Master's degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and her PhD from the International Islamic University Malaysia in 2018. 






Area of Specialisation


  • Social Science ~ Social Science ~ Political Sciences and Public Policy ~ Other Political Sciences and Public Policy n.e.c.


Professional Membership


  • 2015 - 2017: Member of Profesional Body / Association: (Member), Association of Asian Studies
  • 2019 - 2020: Member of Profesional Body / Association: (Member), Asian Political and International Studies Association
  • 2019: Member of Profesional Body / Association: (Lifetime Member), Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia
  • 2020: Member of Profesional Body / Association: (Member), American Political Science Association
  • 2022 - 2022: Member of Profesional Body / Association: (Member), Middle East Studies Association


Research Projects


Completed
2021 - 2022 The Application of Maqasid al-Shariah in Multicultural Malaysia: Developing Strong Institutions for Interethnic Unity
2020 - 2022 Analysis on interethnic inclusivity to develop peaceful national co-existence: Convergence or Divergence between urban Malay-Bumiputera in Kuala Lumpur and Kuching
2018 - 2023 New Framework to Enhance Women's Leadership and Political Empowerment in Achieving Inclusive Development
2018 - 2019 Diskriminasi Gender Dalam Amalan Pekerjaan dikalangan golongan Profesional
On-Going
2023 - Present Societal Developments in Malaysia
2023 - Present Muslim Politics in Plural Societies
2022 - Present International Relations Theory and the Muslim World: Toward an Islamic IR Theory
2020 - Present Islamophobia in Non-Western Context: The Cases of Bangladesh and Indonesia


Award & Recognition


09 Jun, 2023 Integrity Award - Silver - AHAS KIRKHS KCDIO
10 Jun, 2022 Promising Award for Research - Gold - AHAS KIRKHS KCDIO
21 Jun, 2021 Promising Award for Research - KIRKHS KCDIO


Publications


Article

2023 A fiery mix of religious institutions and politics in Malaysia. Stratsea, 5 April 2023 () pp.
2023 A mature-front by Umno’s top leadership this time around at PAU2023. Sinar Daily, 14 June 2023 () pp.
2023 A win for the working-class? Anwar's non-populist budget is pushing for it. Sinar Daily, 7 March 2023 () pp.
2023 Commendable move by Muda, proving a point about democracy. Sinar Daily, 30 June 2023 () pp.
2023 Convergence or divergence? an exploratory study on urban Malays and indigenous people in Kuala Lumpur and Kuching. Asia Pacific Social Science Review, () pp.
2023 Déjà vu for Pakatan Harapan? What sets Umno apart from Bersatu. Sinar Daily, 19 September 2023 () pp.
2023 Democracy finally manifested in Malaysia via the unity government. Sinar Daily, 24 Jan 2023 () pp.
2023 Digital authoritarianism: protecting Islam in multireligious Malaysia. Religions, 14 (1) pp. 1-14
2023 Envisioning Malaysia: receptive to debate and constructive criticism. Sinar Daily, 31 August 2023 () pp.
2023 Execution strategies of Islamic governance: the case of Türkiye (2010-2020). Hamdard Islamicus, 46 (1) pp. 89-109
2023 Islamist civilizationism in Malaysia. Religions, 14 (2) pp. 1-15
2023 Keluhuran perlembagaan ikat pemimpin, rakyat laksana tanggungjawab. Berita Harian, () pp. 12-12
2023 Limited capacities: the OIC's role and perspectives on the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 Malaysia's wealth not uniformly shared among the people, Malaysia Madani may be the solution. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 More women parliamentarians crucial to tackling bigotry. 360, 8 March 2023 () pp.
2023 Only time will tell but Anwar's moves has been blunders so far. Sinar Daily, 10 Februari 2023 () pp.
2023 Only time will tell but Anwar's moves has been blunders so far. Sinar Daily, 10 Feb 2023 () pp.
2023 Pardoning Najib: facts vs emotions. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 Positive youth development: an analysis of the government’s model in Bangladesh. Journal of Asian and African Social Science and Humanities, 9 (2) pp. 1-18
2023 Post-Umno polls: the right choice is to stay in the centre. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 Reclaiming political Islam for the ummah. IIUM Today, () pp.
2023 SPM may not define you but it's evidence of a person’s hard work. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 The application of maqasid al‑shariah in multicultural Malaysia: developing strong institutions for interethnic unity. Contemporary Islam, () pp. 1-18
2023 The bets are on for Perikatan Nasional in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah. Sinar Daily, 15 July 2023 () pp.
2023 The green wave: to fear or not to fear?. Sinar Daily, () pp.
2023 The others of Islamist civilizational populism in AKP’s Turkey. European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), 4 February 2023 () pp.
2023 Waves of change keep reps on their toes, reminder they work for the people - not vice versa. Sinar Daily, 16 August 2023 () pp.
2023 Why the constant call for the fall of a legitimately installed government?. Sinar Daily, 24 May 2023 () pp.
2023 Will BN's unsavoury reputation and PH's liberal image cost the Unity Coalition state support?. Sinar Daily, 28 July 2023 () pp.
2022 A woman's right to equal opportunity. New Straits Times, 8 September 2022 () pp.
2022 Anwar's current formidable support unlikely to betray him on Vote of Confidence Day. Sinar Daily, 18 December 2022 () pp.
2022 Choosing the party or candidate in GE15. Malaysiakini, 15 November 2022 () pp.
2022 Digital leadership: human leaders in the digital age. eTijari, 2 (7) pp. 1-1
2022 Flexible working in Malaysia does not benefit women. 360info, () pp.
2022 Game theory: a bugbear for PN and PH in the 15th General Election. Stratsea, 12 September 2022 () pp.
2022 How Pas won the hearts of those who crave stability and moderation. Sinar Daily, 6 December 2022 () pp.
2022 Muslim minority and jihad: the cases of Rohingyas and Uyghurs. Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 13 (2) pp. 53-80
2022 Muslim minority and jihad: the cases of Rohingyas and Uyghurs. Islam and Civilisational Renewal, () pp.
2022 Our youths know who, what they want. Our youths know who, what they want, 17 November 2022 () pp.
2022 The influences of social media toward the development of terrorism in Indonesia. Jurnal Studi Komunikasi, 6 (1) pp. 16-31
2022 The solution to baby dumping is women in power. 360info, 11 Jul 2022 () pp.
2021 Business as an Act of Love for the Country. eTIJARI, () pp.
2021 Dignity and political expectation of the Malay electorate in Malaysia. Intellectual Discourse, 29 (1) pp. 149-174
2021 Embracing a Malaysian identity a better concept. Malaysiakini, 26th January 2021 () pp.
2021 Hijrah or pop Islam? implications for Malaysia. Stratsea, 18 July 2021 () pp.
2021 How we can avoid confusion over SOPs. Malaysiakini, 9 June 2021 () pp.
2021 Malay political polarization and Islamic populism in Malaysia. Stratsea, 5 July 2021 () pp.
2021 PAS and Taliban are not two peas in a pod. Stratsea, 6 December 2021 () pp.
2021 Putting family first in goal towards gender parity at the workplace. New Straits Times, 06 December 2021 () pp.
2021 The Different Sides of Malaysia’s Response to the Taliban. Stratsea, 5 September 2021 () pp.
2021 The supports and challenges of political Islam during reformation Indonesia. Communications in Humanities and Social Sciences, 1 (2) pp. 61-67
2020 Abuse along the lines of race, gender and class continues. New Straits Times, () pp.
2020 Ali Salman, Mohammad Hashim Kamali and Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil (Editors) - Democratic transitions in the Muslim world (2018). IIUM Journal of Religion and Civilisational Studies, 3 (1) pp. 113-117
2020 Gender discrimination in employment practices: a case study of the Malaysian civil sevice. International Journal of Social Policy and Society, () pp.
2020 Kudos to Malaysians. New Straits Times, () pp.
2020 Middle East link of terrorist threats from the perspective of pesantren in Indonesia: case study in the area of Malang. Humanities & Social Sciences Review, 8 (3) pp. 508-517
2020 Need to address digital divide. The Star, () pp.
2020 Populism and Muslim democracies. Asian Politics & Policy, () pp. 1-17
2020 Proposed development models of Islamic movements in post reformation Indonesia. Al-Tahrir: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 20 (2) pp. 231-250
2020 Public give positive feedback. The Star, () pp.
2020 Scandal and malay politics: a question of dignity against Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali. Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 28 (4) pp.
2020 The difference between democracy as a system and democracy as a principle. Malaysiakini, () pp.
2020 The threat of terrorism in the Malang Region, Indonesia. Intellectual Discourse, 28 (2) pp. 779-791
2019 Changing strategy by Turkey’s AKP: the learning curve theory. Millennial Asia, 10 (2) pp. 148-166
2019 Identity: Contemporary Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition. By Francis Fukuyama. London, UK: Profile Books, 2019, pp. 218, ISBN: 978-1-78125-981-8.. Intellectual Discourse, 27 (2) pp. 679-682
2019 The perception of Indonesian youths toward Islamophobia: an exploratory study. Islamophobia Studies Journal, 5 (1) pp. 61-75
2019 Turkey-Malaysia relations in the 21st Century. Bölgesel Araştırmalar Dergisi, 3 (1) pp. 115-148
2018 From political Islam to democrat Muslim: A comparison between Rashid Ghannouchi and Anwar Ibrahim. Intellectual Discourse, 26 (1) pp. 161-188
2018 Saudi Arabia in transition: insights on social, political, economic and religious change. Edited by Bernard Haykel, Thomas Hegghammer and Stephane Lacroix. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 351. ISBN: 978-0-521-18509-7. Intellectual Discourse, 26 (2) pp. 949-963
2017 Political discourse and Islam: Role of rhetoric in Turkey. The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, 42 (2 (Summer)) pp. 157-179
2017 Political discourse and Islam: the role of rhetoric in Turkey. International Journal of Islamic Thoughts, 6 (1) pp. 57-70
2017 Strategic shifts in discourse by the AKP in Turkey, 2002 – 2015. Mediterranean Quarterly, 28 (3) pp. 5-26
2017 The role of ethnic politics in promoting democratic governance: a case study of Malaysia. Intellectual Discourse, 25 (2) pp. 321-339
2015 Jocelyne Cesari, The awakening of Muslim democracy: religion, modernity, and the state. Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 6 (2) pp.
2015 Will the Middle East implode? By Mohammed Ayoob. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2014, pp. 192, ISBN: 978-0-7456-7924-2. Intellectual Discourse, 23 (1) pp. 155-157
Conference or Workshop Item

2023 Populist leaders in Malaysia: why are they popular?. In: Scholarship Advancement Programme,
2023 Three decades of digital authoritarianism in Malaysia: the government’s role in polarizing society. In: The Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA) Symposium 2023 'Who Are You, Malaysia? Representations of Malaysia's Past, Present and Future after 60 Years of Nationhood.',
2022 Evolving visions of paradise: how Mahathir Mohamad used Islam. In: Scholarship Advancement Programme (SAP),
2022 The application of maqasid al-shariah in multicultural Malaysia: developing strong institutions for interethnic unity. In: IIIT-STRATEGIC RESEARCH PROJECT (SRP) 2020 “APPLIED MAQASID STUDIES”,
2022 The role of Islamic governance in promoting national peace and security: the case of Malaysia (2010-2020). In: International Conference On Peace & Conflict Resolution (ICPCR) 2022,
2021 In Limbo: Islamist populism and democratic stagnation in Malaysia. In: International Symposium on Democratic Governance and Democratic Recession in the Indo-Pacific Region,
2021 Muslim minority and transnational jihad: The cases of Xinjiang and Rakhine. In: 4th Politics & International Relations Congress,
2021 Stuck in limbo: Islamist populism a factor of Malaysia’s inability to consolidate democracy. In: SEARI: Democratic Recession in Southeast Asia,
2020 An analysis of public sentiments towards Malaysian Government's Policies in managing COVID-19 pandemic. In: WAPOR Asia 3rd Annual Conference:,
2020 Dignity and political expectation of the Malay electorate in Malaysia. In: 1st Virtual International Conference on Equality, Religious Harmony and Peace 2020,
2019 Populism in Muslim democracies and its absence. In: International Conference on Religion, Governance and Sustainable Development,
2019 Populism in Muslim democracies and its absence. In: Asia Pacific Social Sciences Conference,
2018 Islamophobia in the most populous Muslim majority country: a case study of Indonesia. In: International Conference on Religion, Culture and Governance in the Contemporary World (ICRCG 2018),
2018 Malaysia-Qatar relationship: perspective from Malaysia: an emerging middle power. In: The 3rd Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference 2018,
2017 Changing strategy by the AKP: the power of populism in the 21st century. In: Rethinking Governance in an Era of Global Insecurities, Regional Tensions and Rising Nationalism 2017,
2015 The role of ethnic politics in promoting democratic governance: a case study of Malaysia. In: 9th Asian Political and International Studies Association Conference (APISA 9),
Book

2023 Pandemic, politics, and a fairer society in Southeast Asia: a Malaysian perspective. Emerald Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-80455-589-7
Book Section

2023 Conclusion: post-pandemic and future research on sustainability. In: Emerald Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-80455-589-7, pp. 207-211
2023 Digital authoritarianism and religion in Indonesia. In: Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 978-981-99-3599-4, pp. 53-80
2023 Digital authoritarianism and religion in Malaysia. In: Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 978-981-99-3599-4, pp. 81-107
2023 Gender gap in politics: a systematic review on Malaysia as a case study. In: Partridge, ISBN: 978-1-5437-7278-4 (Hardcover), 978-1-5437-7277-7 (Softcover), pp.
2023 In Limbo: Islamist populism and democratic stagnation in Malaysia. In: Springer Nature, ISBN: 978-981-19-9810-2, pp. 93-115
2023 Islam and populism in the Asia Pacific. In: Routledge, ISBN: , pp. 134-148
2023 Malaysia: Islamist civilizational populism. In: Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 978-981-99-4261-9, pp. 169-194
2023 Public perception of Malaysian government management during the first wave of COVID-19 outbreak. In: Emerald Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-80455-589-7, pp. 113-136
2022 In Limbo: Islamist populism and democratic stagnation in Malaysia. In: Springer Nature, ISBN: , pp.
2022 In Limbo: Islamist populism and democratic stagnation in Malaysia. In: Springer Nature, ISBN: , pp.
2021 The Malaysia-Qatar relationship: The perspective from Malaysia -- an emerging middle power. In: Springer Nature, ISBN: 978-981-15-8734-4, pp. 211-228
2021 The Malaysia-Qatar relationship: The perspective from Malaysia -- an emerging middle power. In: Springer Nature, ISBN: 978-981-15-8734-4, pp. 211-228
Monograph

2022 Religious populism: cyberspace and digital authoritarianism in Asia. In: European Center for Populism Studies,
2019 Diskriminasi gender dalam amalan pekerjaan di kalangan penjawat awam di negeri Selangor. In: Institut Wanita Berdaya,