UTM Advances Higher Education Diplomacy Through Malaysia-Uzbekistan Knowledge Mission

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) advanced higher education diplomacy between Southeast Asia and Central Asia through a Malaysia-Uzbekistan knowledge mission, bringing together university partnerships, Islamic scholarship, cultural heritage, alumni engagement and civilisational dialogue.

Held from May 5 to 9, the mission was led by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia and Chancellor of UTM.

UTM said the mission included strategic partnership meetings, an alumni engagement session and the signing of 12 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) involving eight universities and four research institutes from Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Fergana and Urgench.

“The MoU exchanges marked a step towards structured academic cooperation between UTM and Uzbek institutions in areas including research collaboration, academic mobility, postgraduate supervision, scholarly exchange, joint programmes and knowledge sharing,” it said in a statement today.

The mission kicked off on May 5 with the international Royal Conference titled “Scientific Tradition in Islamic Civilisation: Resources, Potentials and Challenges”, held at the newly inaugurated Islamic Civilisation Centre in Tashkent.

Jointly organised by the Raja Zarith Sofiah Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (RZS-CASIS), UTM, and the Islamic Civilisation Centre of Uzbekistan, the conference gathered more than 300 scholars, ministers, academics and policymakers from Malaysia and Uzbekistan.

According to UTM, Her Majesty, in her royal address, called for a renewal of the intellectual and ethical foundations that once enabled Islamic civilisation to flourish, reflecting on the contributions of regional scholars such as Imam al-Bukhari, Al-Biruni and Ibn Sina.

“The challenge before us today is not simply to admire a great inheritance, but to renew the conditions that once made such an inheritance fruitful,” Her Majesty was quoted in the statement.

The statement noted that Her Majesty also addressed the relationship between faith and knowledge, reminding the audience that the Islamic intellectual tradition does not place religion and science in opposition.

“A civilisation can honour reason without severing it from revelation. It can welcome inquiry without emptying it of moral values. It can seek discovery without forgetting wisdom,” said Her Majesty.

According to UTM, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who also participated in the mission, described the modern era as one shaped not only by technological disruption, but also by an “epistemological crisis”, in which access to information has expanded while societies continue to face a shortage of wisdom, ethics and moral direction.

“He (Zambry) outlined three priorities for higher education: strengthening a holistic Islamic worldview, rebuilding intellectual ecosystems that produce ethical and socially responsible graduates, and revitalising ijtihad, or critical reasoning, to address contemporary challenges,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, UTM vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim, said the mission reflected the university’s role in building bridges of knowledge across regions and civilisations.

“This collaboration between Malaysia and Uzbekistan reflects our (UTM) aspiration to build bridges of knowledge across regions and civilisations, while advancing research, intellectual exchange and ethical leadership for the benefit of future generations,” he said.

Held in conjunction with Raja Zarith Sofiah’s visit to Uzbekistan, the mission also included visits to important heritage and knowledge sites in Uzbekistan, including Shah-i-Zinda, the Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex, and Registan Square in Samarkand.

-- BERNAMA