JEDDAH, 9 May 2004 — The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has donated more than SR100 million for educational purposes.

The money has gone to institutions and organizations in seven Muslim countries and to Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries. Individual amounts range from SR457,500 for construction of a women’s vocational training center in India’s Bihar state to SR60 million for a vocational training project in Benin.

The aid, either as loan under development projects or under the IDB Waqf Fund, is part of the more than SR1.6 billion approved during the meeting of the Board of Executive Directors that concluded here recently.

According to IDB President Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Ali, the bank gives priority to growth and advancement of Muslims in member states as well as to Muslim communities in non-member countries all over the world.

The bank gave SR36.3 million for financing a basic education development project in Cote d’Ivoire, SR562,500 for construction of a girls hostel at Mangrol town in India’s Gujarat state, SR1.07 million for remodeling, expansion and equipping of Al Huda Islamic School in Hawthorne, California, SR937,500 for upgrading of the Ghazi Khusro Beck School building for boys in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, SR731,250 for expansion of Mahad Al-Deeni Al-Islami School in Asmara, Eritrea, and SR742,500 for construction of a hostel building for Attarkiah Al-Islamia Institute in Thailand’s Narathiwat Province.

About a month ago, the bank gave a loan of SR35.25 million for construction of a technical college in Oman, and a similar loan amounting to SR19.5 million for students’ hostels at the Islamic University of Uganda.

The largest amount — SR 1.1 million — went to China for construction of a Islamic college in Hebei Province, followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina — SR 1.08 million — for construction of a Islamic secondary school for girls, Canada — SR 1.03 million — for expansion and renovation of the Islamic Society of North America elementary school in Ontario, the United Kingdom — SR 978,750 — for expansion of the Bolton Muslim Girls’ School in Greater Manchester and the United Arab Emirates — SR937,500 — for the establishment of an arbitration and reconciliation center for the Islamic finance industry.

India received two grants of SR600,000 and SR375,000 respectively for a girls’ hostel at the Institute of Integrated Technology in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and for construction of Iqra Model Academy in Hooghly district of West Bengal.