HRH The Prince of Wales Visit

“Thank Goodness for Arabic Numerals,” says the Prince of Wales!

HRH the Prince of Wales officially opened the new academic building of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE) on 24th January 2003 in the presence of diplomats, key international figures and leading local civic dignitaries. Speaking during his landmark visit to the Islamic Foundation in Markfield, Leicestershire, the Prince acknowledged the historic links between Islam, Muslims and Britain and quipped, “Thank goodness for Arabic numerals!”

His Royal Highness said Leicestershire should be proud to have “in its backyard” such a “pioneering institution [which] is well known for its scholarly work, its publications and its research.” The Islamic Foundation, continued HRH, has, for many years, been at the forefront of dialogue between the Muslims of Britain and their non-Muslim fellow citizens."

Reminding the assembly of Europe’s cultural and academic debt to Islamic civilisation the Prince said, “Thank goodness for Arabic numerals and the concept of the Zero introduced into European thought by Muslim mathematicians!” In addition to talking of Muslims’ contribution to the development of medicine and geometry, and the navigational skills of Muslim seafarers, HRH also remarked upon Islamic contacts closer to home: “My own family benefited from Islamic wisdom…– Queen Victoria was taught Hindustani using Persian script by Hafez Abdul Karim, one of several Indian staff."

The trustees, staff and students of the Islamic Foundation, which established the Markfield Institute of Higher Education in 2000 as a unique facility for the study of Islam at postgraduate level, were delighted to receive the Prince of Wales at what the Director-General called, “a truly historic occasion”. In his welcoming speech, Dr. Manazir Ahsan addressed HRH directly, saying,“I must say, Sir, how ennobling and inspiring you personally are to us, as indeed you are to everyone who stands for culture and civility, for understanding and togetherness, for accord and mutuality.”

Dr. Ahsan congratulated the Prince for his attempts “to reach out to the Muslim community, allay their apprehensions and encourage them to continue to play their constructive role in the life of the community and the country…we believe that the future belongs to the noble thoughts and ideas of great men like yourself and not to the prophets of doom and gloom. We are, Sir, with you all the way”.