Murad completed his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees while in Penjara Kajang. He had been serving a sentence since 2001 at the age of 14 as a Tahanan Limpah Sultan (detained at the pleasure of the ruler).
Under the law, detention at the ruler’s pleasure means the offender will be eligible for release at the discretion of the ruler (Yang di-Pertuan Agong or Sultan or Yang Dipertua Negeri). In Murad’s case, the ruler here refers to the Sultan of Selangor (the state where the offence took place).
The first Malaysian to complete a PhD in prison, Murad will receive his scroll as a free man at OUM’s 29th Convocation next year.
“This is a great achievement for OUM. We want more prison inmates to gain academic success,” said OUM President/Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Ahmad Awang Izanee. “So that when they are out of prison, they can re-integrate into society and earn a decent living.”
Our Vice President/ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learner Experience & Technology), Prof Dr Santhi Raghavan, was thrilled.
“I’m so happy for Murad! He was my PhD student and I had taught him one of the core subjects in the prison. I was also his Proposal Defense examiner,” she said. “I have been observing Murad for many years since his undergraduate days in prison, and his determination to turn his life around is admirable. Each year, we have several of our prisoner-learners graduating, so it is my sincere hope that this will motivate other prison inmates to follow in their footsteps to improve their lives upon release.”
Through our partnership with the Malaysian Prisons Department, OUM has enabled over 100 inmates to pursue higher education since 2008. Approximately 20 of them have already graduated.
We’re so proud of you, Murad!
