Headshot of Professor Mahazan Abdul Mutalib

Prof. Mahazan Abdul Mutalib

Professor, Faculty of Leadership and Management, USIM, Malaysia

Coordinator of the UNESCO K4C Regional Training Centre for Asia and a leading global voice in Spiritual-Centric Leadership and the integration of ethics and religion into sustainable development.

Professor Mahazan is a prominent academic at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), an institution that bridges revealed knowledge (Naqli) and rational knowledge (Aqli). His career is marked by a robust, transdisciplinary approach that firmly aligns with the global shift towards engaged scholarship and socially relevant research.

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Global Leadership in Community-Based Research

Professor Mahazan’s most significant role is with the UNESCO Knowledge for Change (K4C) Global Consortium:

  • Role: Coordinator and Mentor for the K4C Regional Training Centre (RTC) Asia, based at the Mizan K4C Hub in USIM.
  • Impact: This role positions him as a key figure responsible for training a new generation of scholars and community leaders in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) across the Asian continent.

His work fundamentally challenges the "ivory tower" model by co-creating knowledge and solutions with communities.

Thematic Core: Spiritual Leadership and Governance

His cornerstone research on "Qalb-led Leadership" (Leadership rooted in the Heart) critiques materialistic models, emphasizing spiritual intelligence, moral integrity, and inner transformation (*Tazkiyatun Nafs*) for ethical leadership.

His research is grounded in universal ethical challenges and offers faith-based solutions:

  • Governance and Anti-Corruption: He actively researches corruption risks in Islamic institutions, aiming to develop faith-based integrity systems and ethical frameworks rooted in concepts like *Amanah* (trusteeship).
  • Religion & Community: He investigates the role of religious values and institutions in fostering community resilience and development, positioning Islamic principles as a framework for addressing contemporary social issues.

High-Impact Applied Projects

Professor Mahazan’s research is action-oriented, directly influencing social policy and community sustainability in Malaysia:

  • Amanah Ikhitar Malaysia (AIM) Study: He leads the critical impact study on this large microfinance institution, investigating whether microcredit genuinely alleviates poverty and reduces inequality.
  • The Kampung Mizan Initiative: This is his flagship CBPR "living lab" for community sustainability, focused on co-designing and implementing projects based on local and Islamic wisdom (e.g., organic farming, community tourism).
  • Bridging Knowledge Culture: This project explicitly validates and integrates local, traditional wisdom (*ilmu kampung*) into formal development planning.

His keynote will offer unique insights on how to build a methodology that is academically rigorous, ethically balanced, and spiritually grounded, ensuring that research becomes a true force for community empowerment.