Universities to open Islam centres
Two of the country's top universities have announced plans to create new research centres for Islamic studies.
The move by Edinburgh University and Cambridge University is funded by a £16 million endowment from Prince Alwaleed bin Albdulaziz Alsaud, chairman of the philanthropic organisation Kingdom Foundation.
The new centres will aim to carry out research and public engagements designed to increase understanding between the Muslim world and the West.
The agreement was formalised at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, a spokeswoman for the University of Edinburgh said.
Professor 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."
Professor Yasir Suleiman, director of the Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Cambridge, added: "We intend to create a world-class cadre of researchers and build partnerships with other centres and members of the European Muslim community to advance tolerance, mutual understanding and cross-cultural dialogue between Islam and the West."
