11th President Abdullah Gül attended the 40th Anniversary Celebrations of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
22.07.2025
11th President Abdullah Gül, together with his wife Hayrünnisa Gül, attended the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) at the University of Oxford. The event was held on 17 July 2025 at the Centre's campus in Oxford. King Charles of the United Kingdom was the guest of honour at the celebrations. Gül also met with former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw as part of the celebrations.
Attending the event, 11th President Abdullah Gül, together with his wife Hayrünnisa Gül, had a conversation with King Charles III. During the conversation, Gül handed over a letter in which he expressed his sensitivity on Palestine and advised the King on this issue. Gül also attended the meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Centre.
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) is an independent research centre on the margins of the University of Oxford. Over the last 40 years, the Centre has gained worldwide recognition for its academic publications and international conferences on the Islamic world, culture and sciences. OCIS is governed by a board of trustees consisting of statesmen and academics. In addition to 11th President Abdullah Gül from Türkiye, the board includes Prince Turki Al - Faisal and Prince Faisal bin Salman from Saudi Arabia, Dr Raja Al Gurg from the United Arab Emirate, Sultan Nazrin Shah from Malaysia, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammed Al-Sabah from Kuwait, Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani from Qatar, Sultan of Sokoto Mohammed Sa'ad Abubakar from Nigeria and Deputy Prime Minister M. Jusuf Kalla from Indonesia. Jusuf Kalla, Deputy Prime Minister M. Jusuf Kalla from Indonesia, among other distinguished statesmen from the Islamic world. OCIS, with its multi-disciplinary vision, organises conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and academic studies on Islamic culture, Islamic civilisation and modern issues of the Muslim world today, and awards scholarships.
King Charles III supported the establishment of OCIS when he was still Crown Prince and led the launch of the Centre. This support has played an important role in the development of academic relations with the Islamic world. This year's 40th anniversary celebrations at the Centre's Oxford campus brought together academics, opinion leaders and government representatives from around the world.
