A Malaysian team will arrive next month to study mosque structures in Kerala as a collaborative venture between the International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM) and Madin Islamic Academy (MIA) here. In what is believed to be its first such accord with an Indian institution, the IIUM has entered into an agreement for academic cooperation with the MIA. A team from IIUM is expected to arrive in the state next month to commence the groundwork of a research study on mosque structures in Kerala. The MIA in press release here on Monday said the agreement was inked between IIUM Rector Syed Arabi Idid and Madin chairman Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleelul Bukhari in Malaysia. “We are very happy to sign this agreement with an institution from India, which is the second largest Muslim populated country in the world, and hopeful of getting more students and exchange potentials,” said Idid. The IIUM is a joint venture of the Malaysian government and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which is the umbrella body of 57 Muslim countries. Established in 1983 with 153 students, IIUM has become a premier Islamic university with 30,000 students. It offers Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D courses. The agreement is for exchanging students and teachers, facilitating research and publication in various fields, conducting international seminars and workshops and credit transfer between faculties. This will also enable students from India to pursue their higher studies in 50 faculties and 150 academic programmes of the IIUM. Madin Academy, Malappuram, established in 1997, is one of the growing educational institutions from Kerala with 10,500 students and 25 educational and charity ventures.
