By IINA,
London : Britain’s two world-class universities have decided to create research centers for Islamic studies. The move by Edinburgh and Cambridge universities is funded by a £16 million endowment from Prince Al Waleed bin Abdul Aziz, chairman of the philanthropic organization, the Kingdom Foundation. The new centers will aim to carry out research and public engagements designed to increase understanding between the Muslim world and the West.
The agreement was formalized at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace here yesterday. Prof. Carole Hillenbrand, head of the department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh, said: “The centre will ensure Edinburgh’s place as a world-class resource for expertise on Islam in the modern world.”