News and pictures by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arpah Abu Bakar
UUM PROMOTES ISLAMIC STUDIES PROGRAM IN AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL IMAMS COUNCIL AND UNITED MUSLIMS OF AUSTRALIA
UUM ONLINE: Sydney – Towards driving the global agenda, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Prof. Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah continued his 6th day visit to the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) and the United Muslims of Australia (UMA).
ANIC and UMA are the organizations in taking care of the welfare and needs of Muslims in the country, which make up approximately 1.5 per cent of the Australian population.
The Malaysian delegation which was also joined by UUM was warmly welcomed by ANIC President, Imam Shadi Alsuleiman and ANIC Religious Director, Sheikh Ahamd.
Prof. Dr. Haim Hilman at the meeting has announced the offer of scholarships to Australian Muslim children to further their studies at UUM.
He hoped that the small effort would be able to strengthen the cooperation of both countries as well as assisting the Australian Muslims for the benefit of the ummah.
During the discussion, the Director of the Center for International Affairs and Cooperation (CIAC), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arpah Abu Bakar explained about some of the programs offered by UUM such as Bachelor of Finance and Islamic Banking offered by the Islamic Business School (IBS) and Centers of Excellence that focus on Islamic studies such as Zakat Research and Innovation Institute (IPIZ), Institute of Syariah Governance & Islamic Finance (ISGaIF) and Institute of Excellence in Islamic Jerusalem Studies (IEIJS).
During the visit, the UUM delegation also had the opportunity to hear a talk from the Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Mohamed who is also a Professor of Islamic Studies.
ANIC is the leading organization that guide the Muslim community throughout Australia and currently is the sole national organization of Imams and Islamic Scholars with broad community representation. Among of the services offered by ANIC are halal certification and Islamic and legal wills.
Meanwhile, The United Muslims of Australia (UMA) is a non-for-profit, community and Islamic Da'wah organization that focuses on Islamic teachings and practices in accordance to the Quran and Sunnah.
UMA provides religious, cultural, educational, employment and recreational programs for the Muslim Australia especially the youth, as almost 50 per cent of Australian Muslims are aged 24 and below.