Kuwait grants €300,000 to Arab-Islamic Institute

Kuwait has granted euro 300,000 worth of aid for the Historical Arab-Islamic Institute of Science at Frankfurt University, the ambassador said. Musaed Al-Haroun said in a statement he had delivered the financial support during the annual meeting of the institute board of trustees, noting it would be used for publication and documentation of books on Arab and Islamic history and heritage. Fuat Sezgin, the head of the institute, and Dr. Mohammad Taleb Al-Ibrahimi, the former Algerian foreign minister, who attended the session, praised Kuwait's backing, hailing in particular the late Amir HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for contribution to its founding in 1982. Zezgin, a German of Turkish origin, said he had sought help of the late Abdul Aziz-Hussein, who was a minister of state in Kuwait, in the 80s, when he first pondered establishment of the institute. Zezgin added that he had visited Kuwait at the time and revealed to the late Amir that he was in need for 7.5 million deutsche marks to build the institute. Only two months later, HH the late Sheikh Jaber ordered disbursement of the fund and buy a building to house the institute. Historical Arab-Islamic Institute of Science at John Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt was founded on May 18, 1982. It aims to research and promote awareness the history and culture of Arab-Islamic heritage. The institute holds a scientific library with 25,000 books, among them 300 Arabic manuscripts as well as a museum of 800 antique pieces. The late Abdul-Aziz Hussein had chaired the first meeting of the board of trustees, during his service as minister of state for cabinet affairs in Kuwait.