Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Muslim scholars and societies to master artificial intelligence, warning that failure to understand rapidly developing technologies could leave them vulnerable to outside influence.
“Without knowledge, we will fail. Without understanding AI, we will be colonised and will just become weapons, weaponised by the foreign forces to weaken our resolve,” Anwar told around 2,000 Islamic scholars and students in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Sunday.
Anwar was speaking at a gathering at Markazu Saquafathi Sunniya, also known as Jamia Markaz, in Calicut during a visit to India. His remarks were reported by Malaysian news outlet Malay Mail, citing Bernama.
The Malaysian leader said Muslim societies could not afford to remain detached from advances in AI and other technologies. But acquiring technical expertise alone was not enough, he said, arguing that technological development should remain guided by faith and moral values.
Anwar said technology was not value-neutral and could shape a society’s ethics, beliefs and values. He urged Muslims to preserve turath, or the Islamic scholarly tradition, and remain grounded in the Quran, Sunnah and the works of Islamic scholars while engaging with new technologies.
He also linked the approach to Malaysia’s Madani framework, which he said emphasised humanity, respect and friendship across religious and ethnic communities while retaining an Islamic moral foundation.
Anwar highlighted Kerala’s historical links with the Malay world, saying the region played a role in the spread of Islam and Islamic scholarship across the Malay Archipelago, including present-day Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and the southern Philippines.
The Kerala visit came alongside Anwar’s trip to India for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. During his visit, he also received the inaugural Sheikh Abu Bakar Foundation Excellence Award for his public service and contributions to education, Islamic scholarship and international dialogue.
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