MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – Muhammadiyah is exploring a potential partnership with Cambodia in the field of education, with the possibility of establishing a Muhammadiyah university in the country and offering 20 Cambodians for master’s degree scholarships.
The Senior Minister in charge of Special Mission on Cambodian Islamic Affairs Oknha Datuk Dr. Othsman Hassan visited the Muhammadiya Office, Jakarta on October 21 to discuss collaborative opportunities. The meeting, warmly received by Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Kiai Saad Ibrahim highlighted the strategic importance of educational cooperation in advancing Islamic missions in Cambodia.
“We will prepare our delegation to visit Cambodia to follow up this partnership,” said Saad.
The proposed partnership holds multi-fold benefits. Muhammadiyah offers master’s degree scholarships in programs such as management, business, information technology, and religious studies to 20 Cambodian students. Ideally, these graduates would eventually contribute to the faculty of the planned university.
“We hope that the graduates from these scholarships can fill faculty positions at the university we aim to establish in Cambodia,” said Kiai Saad.
This visit represents a significant step for Muhammadiyah internationalization efforts, as emphasized by Kiai Saad.
“Insya Allah, this noble goal will soon be realized. This is certainly one of Muhammadiyah global initiatives and reflects the mission of Islam as rahmatan lil alaman (a mercy to the whole world). Muhammadiyah will continue to move forward, especially in the context of a global movement.”
Explaining his visit, Dr. Othsman highlighted the lack of an established Islamic university in Cambodia.
“The reason I came to Muhammadiyah is to explore the opportunity of working together to open an Islamic university in Cambodia. We see Muhammadiyah as a prominent Islamic organization with an extensive international network, which is why we are interested in pursuing this collaboration,” said Dr. Othsman.
Expressing gratitude for the proposed scholarships, Dr. Othsman said, “We also extend our thanks to Muhammadiyah for welcoming our visit and cooperation, as well as for the scholarships provided to 20 Cambodian students for their higher education.”
