News and Events

IUIU Holds Book Reading Competition Awards Ceremony and Conference

• 02nd November, 2025 12:12pm

The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), through its Centre for Capacity Development (CCD) and the University Coordinator’s Office, in partnership with the Sena Foundation, successfully held the Book Reading Competition Awards and Conference at the Kampala Campus on 30th October 2025.

The competition focused on the book Journey to Eternity (Erkam Publications), a work that explores profound themes such as death, the grave, and the hereafter. The initiative aimed to promote a culture of reading among university students while fostering spiritual awareness and personal reflection. Students from all four campuses of IUIU participated in the activity.

After a period of intensive reading, participants sat for a written examination jointly organized and evaluated by CCD and the Sena Foundation. The evaluation results formed the basis for the awards presented during the ceremony. The top twenty students were recognized for their outstanding performance. The first-place winner received a fully funded Umrah, the second-place winner a laptop, the third-place winner a smartphone, while the fourth to twentieth winners received cash prizes.

In his remarks, Mr. Saim Çelik, the CCD Coordinator, congratulated the students for their commitment and reflection throughout the competition. He emphasized that the initiative was designed not only to encourage reading but also to help students internalize values that strengthen both intellect and faith. Mr. Çelik also expressed gratitude to the Sena Foundation for its continuous partnership and to the university leadership for supporting student capacity development initiatives.

The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Arslan, Professor of Management and Strategy at Istanbul Medeniyet University and President of the Istanbul Centre for Thought and Social Research (İFTAM). Prof. Arslan encouraged students to view education as a holistic process that nurtures both knowledge and spirituality. He highlighted that the journey toward understanding life and the hereafter should inspire responsible action and personal growth.

Earlier in the day, Prof. Arslan and officials from the Sena Foundation paid a courtesy visit to the Rector, where they discussed ongoing collaboration and potential future initiatives aimed at promoting student development and academic exchange.

The event concluded with a call to strengthen similar initiatives across all campuses to cultivate consistent reading habits among students. The CCD reaffirmed its commitment to coordinating programmes that empower students intellectually, socially, and spiritually.