RIYADH, 10 May 2008 — The attendance of a large number of Filipino Muslims at the annual Haj pilgrimage strengthens the ties of Islamic brotherhood between the Kingdom and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the Philippines, said Dr. Norma Sharief, chairperson and managing commissioner of ARMM’s Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Dr. Sharief, who is heading an ARMM delegation to the Kingdom, was speaking at a reception held in the group’s honor by the Integrated Mindanao Economic Forum and Arab News.
The reception was held at the Saudi Research and Marketing Group’s headquarters in Riyadh.
“The presence of a large Filipino workforce in the Kingdom has brought the two countries closer than ever,” Dr. Sharief said, adding that some 1.5 million Filipino workers are working in the region.
Dr. Sharief also announced that CHED and the Wisdom International School for Higher Education Studies has decided to honor Khaled Almaeena, editor in chief of Arab News, with three honorary doctorates.
The delegation, whose visit was initiated by the Integrated Mindanao Economic Forum IMEF and Arab News, was hosted by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company (KHC). During a conferment ceremony held here on Saturday at the Kingdom Resort, Prince Alwaleed was also awarded an honorary doctorate in business administration.
Thanking Arab News, Dr. Sharief said that the newspaper is well known in the Philippines due to its wide coverage of overseas Filipino workers.
Other speakers at the event included Dr. Ahmed Alonto, professor emeritus of Mindanao State University; Dr. Camar Umpa, professor of the Mindanao University System; Hasan Cana, professor and former dean of the King Faisal Center; Ali Panda, professor from the MSU’s King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies.
In response, Khaled Almaeena said that Arab News has become popular among its readers, because of its dedication to the common people and its reporting of news without fear or favor.
“The circulation of the newspaper is enhanced on Sundays when the weekly Pinoy Extra is released,” he said.
Raid Qusti, chief of the Arab News Riyadh Bureau, thanked delegates for enlightening the audience on the situation in Mindanao.
“Such dialogue, he said, will help understand each other and help build a bridge of strong friendship between the two parties,” he said.
The delegation performed Umrah in the holy city of Makkah and left for Manila yesterday.
