INTELLECTUAL DISCOURSE AT ACADEMY OF BRUNEI STUDIES, UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

The intellectual discourse at Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, chaired by its Director Dr Siti Norkhalbi Haji Wahsalfelah

Our third day in Brunei Darussalam today was spent at Academy of Brunei Studies of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UDB). We had an interesting intellectual discourse with the Director Dr Siti Norkhalbi Haji Wahsalfelah, Deputy Director Tuan Haji Mohd Shahrol Amira bin Abdullah, Programme Leader Mohammad Rafee Shahif, lecturer Associate Professor Dr Mikio Oishi and few others.

The topics ranged from the state of the rich and the poor in Brunei, the management of zakat in Brunei, the state philosophy Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB), the position of zakat within the MIB philosophy, and possible cooperations between the Academy and ISDEV.

For the latter, coincidently, three undergraduate students of the Academy are now in USM and taking my Principles of Islamic-based Development course via a student exchange programme. We agreed that this could be the start of our cooperation, followed possibly InshaAllah by the participation of the academicians from the Academy in ISDEV 5th IDMAC11 to be held in December 2011 at USM, academic visits and exchanges, and research collaborations in the near future. If these are realised, a MoU will be signed between ISDEV and the Academy, InshaAllah, for a longer collaboration.

The Director expressing her points

The participants of the discourse