Government | Wednesday 1 March, 2017 9:48 am |

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman was conferred on Tuesday the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (Islamic service and moderation) and Lifetime Outstanding Achievement Award by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at a special convocation ceremony held at the university on Tuesday evening.

The honors were presented to the King by Sultan of Pahang Ahmad Shah, who is the constitutional head of the university.

In his acceptance speech, King Salman noted that youths were the beacon of hope and the future of the Muslim Ummah. “Universities in the Islamic world have a great responsibility to take care of, and prepare them for the challenging tasks ahead,” he said. The King urged universities in the Islamic world to ensure the readiness and qualification of the young generation to help the Muslim Ummah regain its prowess.

King Salman said that Islam had the right tools to enable the Muslim Ummah to rise again as a civilization. “Education is a means to achieve our visions of progress and civilizational development in the fields of knowledge and sciences,” the King said while emphasizing that all universities in the Islamic world have the responsibility to highlight the truth of Islam and its bright image.

The function at the university was the final official engagement during King Salman’s four-day state visit to Malaysia.

He will leave on Wednesday for Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, on the second leg of the seven-nation tour that will also take him to Japan, China, Maldives, Brunei and Jordan.