AL-AZHAR UNIVERSITY READY TO OPEN ARABIC ISLAMIC CENTRE IN PAHANG

From Kamarul Irwan Alias
CAIRO (Bernama) - Al-Azhar University is ready to set up an Arabic
Islamic Centre in Pahang, Malaysia's third largest state, to help students,
especially from religious schools, master Arabic.

Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob said Saturday that the university expressed its
willingness at a meeting he had with its acting-president, Prof Dr Mohammed
Hassan Awad, here.

"The university has agreed in principle to send scholars to Pahang to teach
Arabic. This (the setting up of the centre) will be discussed by the state
government. I will also inform the Prime Minister and the Higher Education
minister on the proposal," Adnan said.

Adnan, who is on a four-day working visit to Egypt, told reporters here that
the opening of such a centre would be a great help because the state did not
have enough Arabic language teachers, especially from the Middle East.

He said that Pahang now had 14 Arabic language teachers from Saudi Arabia,
thanks to Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is the
Pahang Islamic and Malay Custom Council president.

"We notice the mastery of Arabic among students has increased due to them
being taught by genuine experts in the language," he said.

Adnan said that he had been informed that Al-Azhar University had started
special sessions to help Malaysian students master Arabic.