For your information, the King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies, Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Philippines, still operative as a government educational institution despite of its limited resources to sustain its instructional, research and community services.
The University was established on September 1, 1961 pursuant to Republic Act No. 1387. In the said Act, as amended by RA 1893, the University was to achieve two major objectives: 1) To facilitate the integration of the Muslim minority group into the national body politic, by providing them the opportunities of public education for their own self development, and 2) To provide trained manpower, skilled and technical know-how for the economic development of the Muslim region.
Specifically, the University are: 1) To promote professional and technical training for leadership roles in the development of the Mindanao area; 2) To extend the frontier of knowledge in arts, science and technology; 3) To promote cultural integration of the Muslim minority with the national body politic; 4) To render community services in education, health, industry and governance; 5) To concentrate its resources and programs on students with superior abilities; 6) To develop study programs for poor students who want to earn their way through college; and 7) To deepen greater understanding and appreciation of Asian and world unity.
The King Faisal Center in particular was established in 1971 as an ancillary unit of the then College of Liberal Arts now College of Social Sciences and Humanities with the name Institute of Asian and Islamic Studies. It was originally headed by a director. In October 1973, the institute gained its status as a separate academic unit by virtue of Board of Regent Resolution No. 418 which is mandated to offer collegiate curricula in Islamic studies that integrated basic courses in the natural and physical sciences and humanities. Subsequently, the position of its head was changed from Director to Dean.
In March 1974, the Institute was re-named King Faisal Institute of Islamic (Arabic)
Studies in recognition of the deep concern of His Majesty, the late King Faisal bin Abdel
Aziz of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On June 3, 1976, the Institute was elevated
into a Center pursuant to BOR Resolution No. 1068 and thus, renamed King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies. So the title of its head was changed from Dean to Chancellor. This status remained for a period of twelve (12) years until the early part of 1988 when the BOR which finally resolved to restore the Center to its former status of a college.
The establishment of the Center is anchored on the philosophy of the total development of man. He is not only submissive to the will of the Creator but is also able to balance material progress with spiritual and moral standard. The Center therefore upholds the idea of balance development through integrated knowledge and also aspires to serve as the soul and conscience of the University and the host Muslim community.
Specifically, the Center seeks: 1) To emphasize Islam not only as part of the rich Filipino culture but also as a religion and a complete way of life; 2) To serve as a catalyst for national integration and mutual understanding between the Muslims and non-Muslims; and 3) To cater to the need of growing interest and consciousness in South East Asia and the Middle East as a means of fostering economic political and cultural relations between the Philippines and other countries of these regions.
The Center is occupying a thirty-three thousand five hundred (33,500) square meters of land which the University segregated under BOR Resolution No. 907, series of 1975. This area has been served for the Center in the University main campus at Marawi City. It is bounded on the south by the National Road, on the east, by Camp Amai Pak Pak; on the west, by the main entrance road to the MSU Marawi Campus; and on the north, by the Ford Village.
The Center has seven buildings including one which at the time of this writing, is still under construction. These are the Old Academic Building, the Pahang Hall, the Da’wah center, two Annex buildings, a building intended as a separate library for the Department of International Relations, and the one donated by a Malaysian philanthropist, Datu Mohammad Esmail, which is now being constructed.
The University and the Center in particular is performing the trilogy functions, namely: instruction, research and extension services. The Center’s instructional function consists of a ladderized graduate program and four (4) baccalaureate degrees.
1. Graduate:
a. Graduate Diploma in Islamic Studies, Major in Muslim Law, and
b. Master of Arts in Islamic Studies, Major in Muslim Law.
2. Baccalaureate:
a. Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies, Major in Shariah
b. Bachelor of Science in International Relations, and
c. Bachelor of Science in Teaching Arabic.
To implement the above programs, the Center derives its limited support from the national government through the annual appropriation of the University.