Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

London - His Royal Highness Prince Haji 'Abdul 'Azim, the second eldest son of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday graduated with a BSc with Honours degree in politics and international relations from Oxford Brookes University.

His Majesty, who arrived in London on Thursday, attended the convocation alongside his two daughters Her Royal Highness Princess 'Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah and Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bulqiah in a full-house graduation hall at the university's Headington campus in Oxford, about 55 miles northwest of the capital.

Oxford Brookes University's recently-appointed chancellor, Shami Chakrabarti, presented His Royal Highness Prince Haji 'Abdul 'Azim with his certificate before handing over credentials to more than 200 other graduates.

Chakrabarti and several other university officials later met His Majesty and the rest of the royal

entourage in a separate holding room following the event at the university, which has been named as the leading modern university in the UK by the Sunday Times, seven times in the last 10 years.

A robing ceremony for His Royal Highness took place prior to the event at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) in the vicinity of the area, which Dr Hassan Abedin, the OCIS' politics and international relations centre fellow and development officer, said played a "symbolic role" for yesterday's event.

"The OCIS played a symbolic role in yesterday's event in the sense that the Crown Prince had visited the place when he was studying at Oxford, and the fact that his father also paid a visit previously," said Dr Hassan.

"It's part of keeping a tradition that has been established, that is to visit the centre every time they come to Oxford," he said.

Dr Farhan Nizami, OCIS Director, led His Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Haji 'Abdul 'Azim, Her Royal Highness Princess Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah, Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bulqiah and the rest of the entourage to view an exhibition at the centre following the robing ceremony.

In November 1992, on the occasion of his first visit to the OCIS, His Majesty announced the establishment of an international programme for the study of Islamic civilisation.

The purpose of the pioneering initiative by His Majesty, according to OCIS, is to encourage and contribute to the "scholarly study of Islam and the Islamic civilisation".

"The programme is dedicated to encourage a more informed understanding of Islam and the Islamic world," said Dr Hassan.

"The personal initiative of His Majesty continues the long tradition in which the Bolkiah family has encouraged Islamic learning," read an excerpt from the exhibition.

A quote by His Majesty reads: "Its wider objective is better understanding of the Islamic world by the West, and through such understanding of the Islamic world to promote tolerance and cooperation between peoples of different religions." -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times