KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Malaysians should be grateful for the peace and freedom enjoyed by the country today, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said.

His Majesty said the blessings of peace and freedom should not be marred by polemics stoking the flames of animosity, as disputes and wars would only destroy the dreams and future of a nation and ultimately result in the destruction of the entire community.

"The world is dealing with a number of crises that have a direct impact on the young generation’s future. In my opinion, armed conflict, war, and discord are the greatest threats to the future of the younger generation and the world.

"...since the end of World War II in 1945, the world has never been at peace due to conflicts, disputes, and wars that have occurred in various parts of the globe.

"Despite the catastrophic property destruction, the loss of millions of lives, humanitarian conflicts, and the destruction of the world’s ecological system, people continue to refuse to learn from history,” he said in his royal address at the Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 204th convocation ceremony here today.

Expressing sadness and concern over the current crisis in Palestine, which has claimed hundreds of lives, His Majesty prayed that Allah SWT grant the Palestinian people protection and fortitude, as well as peace, in the land of Palestine.

Drawing lessons from the plight of the Palestinian people, Al-Sultan Abdullah, who is also the UniKL Chancellor, said the younger generation in the country should continue to acquire knowledge because education is a powerful force capable of instilling good values and rejecting all forms of violence.

"In addition to acquiring as much knowledge as possible, the country’s younger generation must be educated and nurtured with a strong sense of patriotism to always stand firm and uphold the principle of loyalty to the King and the beloved country.

"They should also be inculcated with democratic values that defend national identity, religion, national sovereignty, and the supremacy of the Constitution so that our beloved homeland is not pawned off to foreign powers,” he said.

Al-Sultan Abdullah said that as the heirs of the nation, the younger generation should be the primary force in shaping the nation’s future and must not only excel academically but also possess a wide range of skills as well as a good character and noble personality.

Meanwhile, His Majesty said he was pleased with UniKL’s accomplishment of producing the first batch of Al-Hafiz graduates via its Huffaz Professional programme at today’s convocation.

"UniKL has now taken steps towards shaping the nation’s future generation through a new approach to producing huffaz technologists who integrate both memorisation of the Quran and skill. Well done and congratulations,” he said.

At the ceremony, Al-Sultan Abdullah also presented the Ulul-Albab Special Award to Izdihar Amri Saari Al-Hafiz, who is one of the 51 graduates of UniKL’s Professional Huffaz programme.

The award, which was given for the first time, aims to recognise the accomplishments of graduates of UniKL’s Professional Huffaz programme who memorised 30 juzu’ of the Quran, passed the memorisation test, and received the Malaysian Tahfiz Certificate from the Darul Quran Department of Islamic Development Malaysia.

Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang and Rural and Regional Development secretary general were in attendance.

Also present were UniKL pro-chancellor and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, Mara director-general Datuk Seri Azhar Abdul Manaf and UniKL chairman Datuk Seri Sh Mohmed Puzi Sh Ali.

A total of 6,039 graduates will receive their scrolls at the convocation ceremony, which is held over eight sessions starting today until November 7. — Bernama