We must briefly take a look back at history. In pre-Islamic Arabia, women were no more than chattels, sold at the market like cattle. The earliest followers of Islam decided that this situation was unjust. In Islam, men must respect women and women must respect men

Microfinance relies on the honesty of the borrower because he or she is not asked for any guarantee. But as the accounts were checked and discussed in public each week, a kind of public morality came to light in a most remarkable way! Men repaid 98% of their debts, women 99%.

At this difficult time, I applaud, with the highest admiration and gratefulness, the selfless services of all my Jamati volunteers, as well as the doctors, nurses, paramedics and support workers in the AKDN and other health facilities and related programmes. Their exemplary courage, commitment and dedication in extending care and comfort to my Jamat and others,

AKU’s contributions represent another chapter in the long story of great universities that have helped guide the world through the turbulence of history. The global pandemic response has been built on decades of earnest research, often conducted in relative obscurity, but making possible the development of new tests, tracing strategies, therapies, and vaccines. While we should regret the unequal distribution of these achievements, we must also appreciate the intellectual triumph that their development represents.

AKU aims to be as relevant for the next global health crisis as it has been for this one. Today, AKU is building its capacity for cutting-edge research applicable to the distinctive health risks for populations in Asia and Africa. It will seek to harness the enormous potential of advances in artificial intelligence, genomic medicine and stem cell science to address tomorrow’s challenges, as well as today’s.