BANGI: The Sarawak Islamic Council (MIS) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have successfully established the Kursi Sheikh Othman Sarawak.
Deputy Minister for Utility and Communication Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi disclosed that plans to establish the chair came after an agreement was made last Nov 8.
He said the establishment of the chair was part of the state government’s efforts towards building the strengths of Muslims, especially in the aspect of civilisation, thinking and involvement in digital economy.
“The state government’s aspiration is to see this chair be successfully utilised to achieve its objectives.
“In fact, it is hoped that the chair will be sustainable at UKM, as an important chair in the research field towards the development of Muslims in Sarawak,” he said during a recent visit to UKM.
Dr Abdul Rahman expressed hopes for the collaboration from both parties to go beyond the Kursi Sheikh Othman Sarawak.
“I believe there are various other fields that can be explored together, making it a prospect and potential for closer collaborations between MIS and UKM in the future.
“Hopefully, this chair will pioneer serious efforts and steps towards various collaborations that can be benefitted jointly between MIS and UKM.”
He also suggested for a regional seminar on leadership based on Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun to be organised in Kuching by this year or next year.
Also present during the visit were state mufti Datu Kipli Yasin, Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department director Khalidi Ibrahim and UKM pro-vice chancellor (strategy and corporate development) Prof Datuk Dr Wan Kamal Mujani.
