BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A DELEGATION from an Islamic institute in Medan, Indonesia, paid a visit to Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) yesterday to bolster education ties between both countries.

Led by Dean Dr H Abdullah, 23 staff members of the Da’wah and Communications Faculty at the Institut Agama Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara (IAIN-SU) met with their Bruneian peers at UNISSA to discuss ways to promote cooperation related to Islam.

“We need to work closely together to develop Islamic education,” he said, adding they were interested in learning about how the religion is propagated in Brunei.

He explained it was equally important to build relations with other ASEAN countries, urging the predominantly Muslim members – Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia – to support Muslim minority groups in Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.

During the meeting, Dr H Abdullah also invited the Sultanate’s Islamic university to attend upcoming international seminars hosted by IAIN-SU.

Meanwhile, the dean of the Usuluddin Faculty at UNISSA, Dr Arman Hj Asmad, said they were honoured to welcome the delegation from Indonesia as IAIN-SU is a more established Islamic institution compared to its Bruneian counterpart.

Also present at the meeting was the deputy dean of the Usuluddin Faculty at UNISSA, Dr Hj Sulaiman Ibrahim El-Barruhiy, alongside fellow lecturers and staff members.

The delegation from Indonesia will end their four-day visit to the country today.

Established in 1973, IAIN-SU currently has five faculties with 67 lecturers.

UNISSA was set up as an Islamic university in 2007 and currently has about 45 local academic staff.

The Brunei Times