Independent. co.uk
Saudi prince gives universities £16m for study of Islam
By Richard Garner, Education Editor
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Two of the country's best known universities are to set up research centres
aimed at promoting a better understanding of Islam.
Cambridge and Edinburgh universities will share a £16m endowment from Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal Abdulaziz al-Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal
family and chairman of the Kingdom Foundation a charitable and philanthropic
foundation set up to alleviate suffering around the world.
Both universities, members of the 20-strong Russell Group, which represents the
leading research institutions, will set up study centres with the aim of
fostering better understanding between the Muslim world and the West.
In Cambridge, the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies will
seek to develop a "constructive and critical awareness of the role of Islam in
wider society". There will be research programmes on Islam in the UK and Europe
and the portrayal of Islam in the media. Public lectures, conferences and
summer schools will be organised to promote better understanding, with policy
makers from both worlds invited to become visiting fellows at the centre.
At Edinburgh, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in
the Modern World will aim to concentrate on promoting understanding of the
history of Islamic civilisation and of Muslims in Britain.
Professor Carole Hillenbrand, head of the department of Islamic and Middle
Eastern Studies at Edinburgh, said the centre's programme would have "twin
emphases on both the past and the present and how they reinforce and illuminate
each other".
In both cases, the universities have a history of involvement with Islamic
studies. In Edinburgh's case, this dates back 250 years to its first
scholarship in Islamic studies. The university was recently placed top in the
UK for research on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. The university has one
of the largest concentrations of expertise in Britain on Islamic studies,
bringing together 20 full-time members of staff.
About 60 undergraduates a year study at Cambridge's Faculty of Asian and Middle
Eastern Studies. Courses in Islam are also provided to students at the Faculty
of Divinity. The study of the Middle East and Islam, and its role in the
contemporary world, is a growing element of the Centre for International
Studies and Department of Political Science's research programmes at the
university.
An agreement to set up the two centres was formally signed at Buckingham Palace
yesterday. The ceremony was attended by the Duke of Edinburgh, chancellor of
both universities.
Professor Yasir Suleiman, director of the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies at Cambridge, said: "We intend to create a world-class cadre of
researchers and build partnerships with other centres and members of the
European Muslim community to advance tolerance, mutual understanding and
cross-cultural dialogue between Islam and the West."
Prince Alwaleed said: "It is paramount for both Islam and the West to reach
mutual ground for pro-active dialogue, respect, acceptance and tolerance. We
are determined to continue building the bridge between Islam and the West for
peace and humanity."
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