IIIT, IUK Signed MoU on Collaboration

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), USA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Islamic University, Kushtia (IUK) on October 24, 2024, at the BIIT Hall Room. The MoU is designed to strengthen, promote, and develop academic research, publication, and training cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit.

The MoU was signed by Professor Dr. Nakib Muhammad Nasrullah, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Kushtia, and Dr. Abdul Aziz, Country Representative of IIIT, Bangladesh, on behalf of Prof. Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule Sr., Secretary-General of IIIT, Virginia, USA. It was witnessed by Professor Dr. Md. Iqbal Hossain, Director of the Institute of Islamic Education and Research, Islamic University, Kushtia, and Prof. Dr. Yusuf M. Islam, Vice President of the Bangladesh Institute of Islamic Thought (BIIT).

Dr. Abdul Aziz emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating, “This MoU with both institutions is to explore the potential for joint research collaboration. It aims to enhance, enrich, and broaden the academic and educational works and projects carried out by both organizations. This MoU signifies our commitment to providing quality education while fulfilling our social responsibility to extend research knowledge to the wider community, which plays a vital role in the development of the educational sector in Bangladesh.”

The collaboration will cover several critical areas, including:

Curriculum Development and Teachers’ Training workshops on the Integration of Knowledge (IOK) in all areas of academic disciplines;
Providing scholarships to students to study Master’s/PhD programs in education, Islamic law and theology, arts & humanities, social sciences, business studies, or any other disciplines taught at IUK;
Organizing seminars/conferences on national or Ummah-related issues or different aspects of Maqasid al-Shariah, with a focus on the needs of Bangladesh in particular and the Muslim Ummah in general;
Exchange of scholars and resource persons in relevant fields;
Research and publication in relevant fields;
Establishment of a library-cum-resource center at IIER of IUK, with the provision of required/recommended books, journals, and other necessary materials.

Professor Dr. Md. Iqbal Hossain, a witness to the signing, said, “IUK is a degree-awarding university at the tertiary level, established in Bangladesh in 1979 to provide integrated education combining both Islamic and general studies. IIIT is committed to reconstructing thought and integrating knowledge through research, training, publication, and the dissemination of its academic materials across various educational institutions globally. Both organizations are focused on fostering education, research inclusion, and academic publication in Bangladesh.”

The meeting was attended by Professor Dr. Mohammad Shamsul Alam, Vice-Chancellor of Islamic Arabic University; Md. Ayub Hossain, Registrar of Islamic Arabic University; Dr. Abdul Karim, Professor of Da’wah & Islamic Studies at IU; Dr. Mumtahena, Assistant Professor of English at Northern University Bangladesh; and Dr. Afroza Bulbul, among others.