THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 2014: Ma’din Academy, one of the leading centre of spiritual and scientific learning in the southern Indian state of Kerala, will mark its 20th anniversary with a host of events spread over almost three years.
The Vicennium will open with the International Knowledge Retreat from April 12 to 16 in Malappuram and there will be five major sessions during the next five days, its chairman Syed Ibrahimul Khaleelul Bukhari said here Tuesday.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy released its logo earlier in the day. Urban development and minority welfare minister Manjalam Kuzhi Ali received the logo. Deputy leader of opposition Kodiyeri Balakrishnan released the visual identity document of the conference.
The flag hoisting ceremony will be held on April 12. The inaugural events will conclude on April 16 with a mass gathering at Swalath Nagar, Malappuram.
The Vicennium program was announced in September last year in London and pre-conference events were subsequently held in Australia, Fiji, Malaysia and the Gulf countries, besides various Indian states.
“Twenty international conferences will be held in different countries as part of the celebrations,” Bukhari told reporters.
“We are planning to unveil a number of projects in wide-ranging areas of education, culture, spirituality, history, environment and family, etc. The Vicennium will conclude in December 2017”.
The Academy, which has signed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for exchange programs with several educational institutions globally, plans to enhance and build partnerships on them.
The Academy wants to transform itself into an educational hub of the region with branches spread out internationally.
Five new campuses, including a women’s empowerment centre, Mahabbah Square and the Centre for Science and Technology, will be inaugurated in three years.
Discussions on the historic importance of Malabar region would be one of the highlights of these programs, besides the launch of an international research magazine to “bridge the gap between studies on Malabar and international academia”.
The Academy has already started a research project called Malabar Moorings in collaboration with the Griffith University, Australia.
Started in 1997, Ma’din has more than 18,500 students on its campuses now.
It promotes interfaith dialogues actively partnering with initiatives like G20 Interfaith Conference, International Interfaith Harmony Conference as part of the UN Harmony Week initiative and inter religious dialogue in Vatican and Jordan.
Bukhari has been listed as one of the most influential Muslims in the world by The Muslim 500, an annual publication of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan, in cooperation with Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in the US.
