During the visit, Ayatollah Arafi met with officials of the institute and exchanged views on academic and civilizational studies. ISTAC, which operates under the supervision of the International Islamic University Malaysia, is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious higher education and research centers.
The institute was founded by renowned Malaysian thinker Professor Syed Muhammad Naqib al-Attas, with the mission of training a new generation of scholars in Islamic thought and civilizational studies. Benefiting from its rich library, diverse faculty and student body from different nationalities, and strong cooperation with international research institutions, ISTAC has become an influential hub in the field of Islamic intellectual and cultural studies.
Ayatollah Arafi’s visit to Malaysia comes within the framework of expanding academic and cultural cooperation between Iran and Malaysia. In recent years, both countries have emphasized the importance of strengthening ties between universities, research centers, and religious seminaries, particularly in fields related to Islamic sciences, civilization studies, and interfaith dialogue.
