SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
Azerbaijan's education minister attends opening of new block of Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Baku, May 20, AZERTAC
Azerbaijan's Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov has attended the opening of a new education block of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS).
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Crown Prince of the United Kingdom, Prince Turki al-Faisal from the royal family of Saudi Arabia and Director of the Centre Farhan Nizami made opening remarks at the event.
Speakers included Sultan Muhammad V of Malaysia, Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad, former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem, representative of the King of Jordan Prince Ghazi bin Mohammad. They hailed the significant role of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in the development of interreligious dialogue.
Jabbarov extended congratulations of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the leadership of the centre at an official reception held as part of the event.
The Azerbaijani minister then met with the academic staff of the Scientific Centre of Azerbaijan and Caucasian Studies named after Nizami Ganjavi at the Oxford University which was established at the initiative of Professor Nargiz Pashayeva, rector of the Baku branch of Moscow State University.
Mikayil Jabbarov also met with Director of the Prince's School of Traditional Arts in London Khaled Azzam and with Azerbaijani students studying in the UK.
The OCIS was established as an independent center in 1985 to promote scientific studies on Islam and the Islamic world, and to promote interfaith dialogue.
The centre is sponsored by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Crown Prince of the United Kingdom. Its Board of Trustees comprises scientists and statesmen from around the world, as well as representatives of the University of Oxford.