A meeting with the director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic
Studies (UK) Farhan Nizami was held at the Muslims Board of Uzbekistan.
The guest was informed about the reforms implemented in Uzbekistan, in
particular, the activities carried out by the leadership of our country
on ensuring peaceful life and activities of representatives of various
religions and nations.
The Head of our state at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly,
revealing the true humanistic essence of Islam, proposed the adoption of
a special resolution on “Enlightenment and religious tolerance”, which
became a vivid example of noble initiatives of Uzbekistan in the sphere
of religious tolerance and aroused great interest among the world
community.
Interreligious relations in our country today are studied by many
states and are recognized as a worthy example for the whole world. This
is confirmed by the fact that this year authoritative international
experts studied the reforms that are being implemented in Uzbekistan in
the sphere of ensuring freedom of religion, belief and positive
experience in this direction. The United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of
religion or belief of the UN Human Rights Council Ahmed Shaheed highly
appreciated the religious situation, interethnic and interreligious
relations in our country.
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, established in 1985 in the UK,
is engaged in supporting the research of Islam, stimulating
international cooperation between scientists and institutions for the
study of the Islamic world, propaganda for the development of Islam in
various publications.
Relations between the Centre and the Republic of Uzbekistan were
established in the first years of independence. In 1993, the Oxford
Centre for Islamic Studies and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic
of Uzbekistan signed statements on cooperation, in 1994 – a memorandum
of cooperation with Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies.
The main purpose of the visit to our country of the founder and head
of the center Farhan Nizami is to develop cooperation with departments
and institutions of Uzbekistan engaged in research of the Islamic world
and discuss joint projects in cultural and humanitarian sphere.
Issues of the exchange of professors and teachers between the
scientific research institutions of our country and the Oxford Centre
for Islamic Studies, implementation of joint projects were considered.
Memoranda of cooperation between the Center for Islamic Civilization of
Uzbekistan, Imam Bukhari International Research Center, Tashkent Islamic
University and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies were signed.
Director of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Farhan Nizami met
with the first deputy chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the
Republic of Uzbekistan Sodiq Safoyev.
Farhan Nizami also held negotiations at the Institute of Oriental
Studies named after Abu Rayhan Beruni of the Academy of Sciences of the
Republic of Uzbekistan, the Westminster International University in
Tashkent.
