UUM AND KEDAH STATE MUFTI DEPARTMENT INITIATE COLLABORATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

UUM ONLINE: The agenda for advancing knowledge and community development are responsibilities mandated by Allah SWT and the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, Universiti Utara Malaysia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kedah State Mufti Department at the Visitors’ Lounge, Sultan Sallehuddin Chancellery Building.

UUM was represented by Prof. Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan and the Kedah State Mufti was represented by the Mufti, Dato’ Syeikh Fadzil Awang.

Prof. Dr. Mohd Foad stated that the collaboration signifies the beginning of a strategic collaborative effort between the two institutions. The aim of this collaboration is to advance global knowledge development and provide support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as corporate strategies related to Environment, Social and Governance (ESG).

“In this context, it is important to note that academic experts in this field should not be restricted to UUM alone. Instead, they should actively engage in collaboration with external agencies such as the Kedah State Mufti Department.

“In addition, there have been several discussions and partnerships between UUM and the Kedah State Mufti Department as outlined in the Kedah Darulaman State Fatwa Compilation Project. Hence, it is my hope that this collaboration can continue through this MoU,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor said that he anticipated this collaboration would be fully utilised and have beneficial impact on the academic development, research and expertise sharing between UUM, specifically the Islamic Business School (IBS) and the Kedah State Mufti Department.

Meanwhile, Syeikh Fadzil mentioned that it would be a loss if the valuable expertise possessed by both institutions were not fully utilised for the benefit of the community.

He noted that UUM has extensive expertise and expressed desire for the dissemination of high-impact research to the public. The research should focus on contemporary issues or questions, as well as matters related to Islamic jurisprudence under the jurisdiction of the Mufti Department.

“With this collaboration, I hope that the experts from UUM will be able to assist and facilitate the Kedah State Mufti.

“May this collaboration continue and lead to further collaborations for the benefit of the ummah,” he said.

Prior to the event, he delivered a lecture entitled ‘Creating Excellence’ at the Seminar Hall, UUM Islamic Centre, and subsequently he was taken to visit the UUM Gallery.