NEW DELHI, Oct 24, (KUNA): Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Saturday extolled close relations between India and Kuwait in all fields, pointing to both sides’ willingness to further bolster and develop their bilateral ties. Ansari was speaking at a ceremony held by the Islamic Fiqh Academy of India last night on the occasion of launching a new Urdu fiqh encyclopedia compiled by Kuwait. He said Indian-Kuwaiti relations had been further strengthened with the launching of the fiqh encyclopedia in Urdu. The Kuwaiti-funded encyclopedia, which will serve an influential sector of Indians, is a fresh addition to good relations between both friendly nations, he added.

The Indian vice-president stressed the significance of the encyclopedia to the removal of practical obstacles and barriers facing Urdu-speaking Muslims in their everyday lives. Apart from Ansari, the ceremony was also attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador in India Sami Al-Suleiman, a delegation of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, several Arab ambassadors and Indian Muslim dignitaries. Addressing the celebration, the top Kuwaiti diplomat in India said His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is keen on supporting everything that could serve the tolerant religion of Islam and disseminate its teachings worldwide.

For several decades now, Kuwait has been shouldering the responsibility of compiling correct and reliable religious references for diverse fiqh issues and questions, he said. Kuwait had adopted several projects and initiatives aiming to establish the concept of Islamic religion and to fan out its teachings, he said, pointing to the establishment of the World Islamic Moderation Center in Kuwait. He considered the Urdu fiqh encyclopedia a proof of firm relations between Kuwait and India, being developed continuously under the leadership of both nations. The 45-volume encyclopedia will be beneficial to some 300 million Urdu-speaking Indian Muslims.

 

Arab Times