Bakri Assas, president of the university, said the chair was aimed at conducting scientific studies on how to mend relations between people and promote a culture of reconciliation in society.
He said the Muhammad Abdu Yamani Chair would also hold seminars on matters related to reconciliation and develop educational and training programs in the field for students of schools and universities.
“The chair will also conduct a forum for those working in the field of improving relations between families and individuals. It will also run training programs to develop the capabilities of people working in the field,” the president said.
The chair will have a link on the university’s website where all its research work and activities will be published, Assas told the Saudi Press Agency. The website will also have a databank of people working in the field in various parts of the Kingdom.
Yamani died in November 2010 following a stroke. Born in Makkah in 1938, Yamani obtained a doctorate degree in geology from Cornell University in the US. He had worked as lecturer at various Saudi universities before becoming the president of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.
He served as minister of information from 1975 to 1982. He wrote 35 books covering cultural and religious topics. Some of his works have been published in English. In 2008, he was elected chairman of the Saudi Research and Publishing Company's Board of Trustees.
Loved and respected by all, Yamani was a well-known philanthropist. He was vice chairman of Dallah Al-Baraka, one of the Kingdom's leading companies. He was also chairman of 12 national and international companies and establishments, which specialized in culture, publishing, health, education and investment.
