Turkish president hosts dinner in honor of Oxford Islamic Studies

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

DHA Photo

Turkish President Abdullah Gül hosted a dinner in honor of Oxford University’s Islamic Studies Center at Dolmabahçe Palace May 2, in an attempt to promote broader awareness of the center.

“The center has played an important part in the understanding of Islamic values in both West and the East and has experienced many firsts in its timeline, including being Oxford’s first-ever academic Islamic center,” Gül said.

Gül added that the center had become an important academic focus in the study of Islamic culture and civilization, with an impact that resonated both in the Islamic world and outside of it.

The center also helped mutual understanding and better compatibility between cultures, which is severely needed in today’s world, Gül said.

“By supporting this center we can show our values of harmony and common understanding. The path to such things passes from doing tangible and real things today that will develop these values today and tomorrow. And that is a cause we would all be proud to join,” Gül said.

The director of the center, Farhan Nizami, also spoke during the event.

The center began its activities in 1985, and was later on supported both by the U.K.’s Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth. Now in the stages of building a new campus, the center is known to host academicians and professors from over 50 countries.

Gül is a member of the Board of Trustees at the center.