King of Saudi Arabia Receives Honorary Degree from Sultan of Perak
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and King of Saudi Arabia, who is on a state visit to Malaysia, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Universiti Malaya (UM) by HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, the Sultan of Perak who is also the Chancellor of Universiti Malaya.
During the convocation ceremony, King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud stated that there is a need for universities and research centers in Islamic countries to produce work that can contribute to the building of Islamic civilization globally. "Universities are centers for nation-building that have a mission to realize comprehensive development across various dimensions." The Saudi Arabian monarch further stated that universities should also play a role in strengthening national unity, in addition to empowering a culture of dialogue, values of tolerance, and harmonious living among various races. He added, "This is important to realize international peace and stability so that the international community as a whole can enjoy well-being and comfort," he said in Arabic, which was then translated into Malay.
The King of Saudi Arabia also stated that what is produced should benefit other countries in the world. This must be done to face challenges in the fields of scientific and technical knowledge, which, according to him, are not much different from the challenges faced in political and economic aspects. The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, as Chancellor of UM, graciously presented the honorary degree to King Salman. King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud also graciously performed a tree-planting ceremony for a Sengkawang tree, or scientifically known as shores sumatrana, as a symbol of his visit to Universiti Malaya (UM). The brief ceremony was held in front of the Dewan Tunku Canselor, immediately after he received the Honorary Doctorate of Letters from UM, presented by the Sultan of Perak, Paduka Seri Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is also the Chancellor of UM, at the UM Special Convocation Ceremony in the same hall. He spent about two minutes planting the tree, which was also witnessed by Sultan Nazrin.
The King of Saudi Arabia, who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Cities, praised Universiti Malaya for its role in the development of knowledge in global progress. "This university has also contributed to the development and advancement of Malaysia as well as other countries," said the King, who is on a four-day state visit to Malaysia since Sunday at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.
