Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Awad Al-Asseri has underscored the need for removing misunderstandings about Islam with wisdom. While inaugurating, the 19th Cultural Festival of the International Islamic University (IIU) in Islamabad, he highlighted the cordial relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and said that Pakistan has a vital position in the Islamic world and the IIU is playing its due role in disseminating Islamic knowledge in the societies including South Asia, Central Asia, and even in Far East Asia. We have one common goal to present Islam in a positive way and in an acceptable manner, the ambassador said. He said that misunderstandings about Islam in the world should be removed with wisdom. Pak-Saudi relations, Asseri said, are improving day by day and these two countries are actually one nation, the cordial relations between these two countries will further enhance in future. IIU President Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui said the present strength of 10,000 students at the University is improving day by day and it will reach to about 30,000 students during the next ten years. He said that a new mosque is being constructed at the campus of the University which has been named as Shah Abdullah Mosque to pay tributes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for his valuable services to Muslims. Dr. Siddiqui said that Islamic character of the University will be maintained and teaching of Arabic language will also be continued as a compulsory language. The ceremony was attended by various Ambassadors and diplomats based in Islamabad. Students from 27 countries presented their performance on their stalls by highlighting the culture and common living of their countries. Stalls at the exhibition were from Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, Jordon, Somalia, Nigeria, Nepal, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan.
