TEHRAN Iran's Al-Zahra University has been accepted as an official member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW).

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad gave a speech to open the Second General Conference of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World and the sixth meeting of its executive council in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Also in the conference, preliminary approval was given to a proposal for the formation of a union of women academics of the Islamic world, presented by the president of Al-Zahra University, Dr. Zahra Rahnavard.

The conference aims to promote the level of research in all fields by facilitating the exchange of research findings and promoting students' interest in practical research for solving the problems of the Muslim ummah, and to promote development.

Developing and promoting higher education in order to provide for the needs of Muslim countries, facilitating student exchange programs, and drawing up and formulating educational regulations are among the other objectives of the conference.