President urges scholars to counter Islam’s negative image

ISLAMABAD: The president urged Muslim scholars and researchers to portray the true image of Islam before the world.

Addressing the 10th convocation of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), Mamnoon Hussain said that Islam preaches the message of peace, harmony and brotherhood, but certain misguided and bigoted elements have tainted the very image of great religion with their flawed narratives. “These elements are a scar on the face of humanity”.

He said extremist tendencies and terrorism have inflicted huge sufferings and pain to humanity and time has come to collectively foil their sordid designs.



He further said that universities can pave the way for the country’s success if they have best teachers, well-designed curriculum and better facilities.

Congratulating the students, the IIUI chancellor said that country is proud of them and hoped that graduating students will contribute in the country’s progress in future with the positive deeds by applying teachings which were imbued in their mind by the varsity in the light of Islamic teachings.

As many as 5,620 male students graduated from the university including 484 overseas students who were conferred degrees, while the president also awarded 115 gold medals and 81 PhD degrees to the male students.

IIUI Rector, Dr Masoom Yasinzai said that the university from its very inception, aimed at becoming a leading international centre of educational excellence.



He added that amid the varsity’s rapid growth over the last one decade physical capacity has shortened, and its management is on consolidation mission as efforts are under way to have a very strong Waqf for IIUI.

He further said that a Mega PC-1 for new academic blocks and laboratories is tabled and awaits the decision of the planning commission, while the university is also mobilising its International Finance Committee for the establishment of a 10-Mega Watts Solar Power Plant on IIUI Campus.

IIUI President Dr Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh also spoke to the ceremony and said that university strives to build bridges between the traditional knowledge and the latest technologies, paying equal attention to the Islamic heritage and the engineering and technology which is need of the time as it helps avoiding the clash of civilizations through the rejection of extremism, prejudice and terrorism in the light of divine teachings.



“After conferring degrees to the 11,644 students in 10th mega event of varsity, a total number of graduated students in all convocations will reach to 38,002,” Dr Al Draiweesh said adding that 5,620 male and 6,024 female students will get their degrees in the university’s 10th convocation.

He said that a total number of 110 PhDs will be conferred degrees in this event, while number of foreign graduated students at IIUI in the 10th convocation will be 629.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2016.