Qatar University (QU) honoured Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy Friday at a special ceremony at its Ibn Khaldoon hall.
This marks the second honorary doctorate awarded by QU. The first was bestowed on the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in December 2015.
The Malaysian Prime Minister's wife Dr Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamed Ali, prominent Qatari entrepreneur HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin Ahmad al-Kuwari, HE the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, and other dignitaries were present.
Dr Mohamed was welcomed by QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham, along with a number of members of the Board of Trustees, vice-presidents, deans of faculties, QU students, faculty members and other members of the general community.
"Let me reciprocate the warmness of this welcome by expressing my deepest thanks and appreciation to Qatar University for conferring on me this Honorary Doctorate. I am humbled by the acknowledgements and it is indeed a great privilege, not only for me but for my wife, the Government and the people of Malaysia as well. I feel truly honoured," said, Dr Mohamed in his acceptance speech.
“This award that Qatar University has accorded to me will be remembered as a symbol of the strong bonds between our two countries. As the top university in the country, Qatar University has distinguished itself as the nation’s premier university on many fronts including in the fields of Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Sharia and Islamic Studies and let me congratulate Qatar University for this achievement,” stated, Dr Mohamed.
“Relations between Malaysia and Qatar have remained warm and friendly throughout the years since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1974. Both countries have consistently worked together to broaden and deepen our existing cooperation. I must say that the relation now is at an all-time high,” continued Dr Mohamed.
In his welcome remarks, Dr al-Derham, said, “At Qatar University, we have a great relationship with the educational institutions in Malaysia as we have signed MoUs with five Malaysian universities including, the University of Malaya, the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the International Islamic University Malaysia.”
“QU has also been working with more than 36 different institutions in Malaysia since 2014 that resulted in 274 research paper and project in different fields. Furthermore, QU has welcomed Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, deputy prime minister of Malaysia who delivered a keynote address to our community in 2018. We look forward through this visit to open the doors to more educational cooperation with your esteemed universities,” explained Dr al-Derham.
Awarding the honorary doctorate, Dr al-Derham said, “We take pride in welcoming a national symbol and a figure of the Islamic World, who have achieved a great deal and was a pioneer in so many fields. As a student, I have followed your work from a rich academic contribution, that included 16 books and research paper to a long and fruitful political career leading the country to prosperity and allowed Malaysia experience a period of rapid modernisation and economic growth."
"Today we witness the success of The Way Forward plans that placed Malaysia in a leading position globally. We are honoured to award you the Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy and we are grateful for your acceptance and your visit to Qatar University,” he added.
The Malaysian Prime Minister's wife Dr Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamed Ali, prominent Qatari entrepreneur HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin Ahmad al-Kuwari, HE the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi, and other dignitaries were present.
Dr Mohamed was welcomed by QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham, along with a number of members of the Board of Trustees, vice-presidents, deans of faculties, QU students, faculty members and other members of the general community.
"Let me reciprocate the warmness of this welcome by expressing my deepest thanks and appreciation to Qatar University for conferring on me this Honorary Doctorate. I am humbled by the acknowledgements and it is indeed a great privilege, not only for me but for my wife, the Government and the people of Malaysia as well. I feel truly honoured," said, Dr Mohamed in his acceptance speech.
“This award that Qatar University has accorded to me will be remembered as a symbol of the strong bonds between our two countries. As the top university in the country, Qatar University has distinguished itself as the nation’s premier university on many fronts including in the fields of Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Sharia and Islamic Studies and let me congratulate Qatar University for this achievement,” stated, Dr Mohamed.
“Relations between Malaysia and Qatar have remained warm and friendly throughout the years since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1974. Both countries have consistently worked together to broaden and deepen our existing cooperation. I must say that the relation now is at an all-time high,” continued Dr Mohamed.
In his welcome remarks, Dr al-Derham, said, “At Qatar University, we have a great relationship with the educational institutions in Malaysia as we have signed MoUs with five Malaysian universities including, the University of Malaya, the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the International Islamic University Malaysia.”
“QU has also been working with more than 36 different institutions in Malaysia since 2014 that resulted in 274 research paper and project in different fields. Furthermore, QU has welcomed Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, deputy prime minister of Malaysia who delivered a keynote address to our community in 2018. We look forward through this visit to open the doors to more educational cooperation with your esteemed universities,” explained Dr al-Derham.
Awarding the honorary doctorate, Dr al-Derham said, “We take pride in welcoming a national symbol and a figure of the Islamic World, who have achieved a great deal and was a pioneer in so many fields. As a student, I have followed your work from a rich academic contribution, that included 16 books and research paper to a long and fruitful political career leading the country to prosperity and allowed Malaysia experience a period of rapid modernisation and economic growth."
"Today we witness the success of The Way Forward plans that placed Malaysia in a leading position globally. We are honoured to award you the Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy and we are grateful for your acceptance and your visit to Qatar University,” he added.
