IIUM confers honorary doctorate to UAE'S ruler of Ajman

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has conferred an Honorary Doctorate to United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid al-Nuaimi, for his contributions to the development of the Ummah and Muslim world.
The award, an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business
Administration (Human Capital Development), was conferred by IIUM Constitutional Head, Sultan Ahmad Shah, ruler of Malaysia's east coast state of Pahang at the IIUM's Cultural Activity Centre (CAC) on Feb 14.
IIUM Rector Professor Syed Arabi Idid said in a statement Wednesday that the selection was based on Sheikh Humaid's international contribution, as he had established the "Human Appeal Organisation", which provided various types of humanitarian supports to the poor and the needy in the UAE and helped many refugees in Africa, Asia and Europe.
In the year 2000, the Ajman ruler had also set up the Sheikh Humaid Charitable Organisation dedicated to providing various means of support and assistance to orphaned, widowed, disabled, elderly and poor citizens of Ajman.
This charitable organisation also gave financial assistance to pilgrims permorming the Haj, sponsored the construction and operation of hospitals in Bosnia, South Lebanon, Gaza, and Sudan as well as providing tuition fees and scholarships to students to continue and complete their higher eduaction in Ajman and abroad, Syed Arabi said.
Through the Amiri Decree from Sheikh Humaid, Preston University-Ajman was established in 2001 with its Ajman campus offering undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Business Administration, Information Technology and Islamic Studies as well as a Degree in Fashion Design.
For the last seven years Preston University has been increasing its student in-take which now stands at 2,000 students.
Syed Arabi also said that the International College of Law, Business Administration and Technology in Ajman was also established through the effort of Sheikh Humaid to provide quality higher education in Ajman.
Sheikh Humaid, who succeeded his late father to become the Ruler of Ajman in September 1981, is fully committed to the development of knowledge as well as the spread of Islamic and Arabian culture, Syed Arabi said.
In 1983, he created the Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Prize for Knowledge and Culture in honour of his late father aimed at nurturing the spirit of competition in the fields of knowledge and culture which would enrich cultural activities and life in Ajman.
Sheikh Humaid, born in Ajman in 1933, had his basic Islamic, Arabic language and mathematics education under the supervision of a group of carefully selected private scholars and teachers.
Ajman is one of the seven emirates constituting the UAE. With an area of just 260 square kilometres, Ajman is the smallest emirate by area. The other six emirates are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras al-Kaimah and Umm al-Quwain.