His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday honoured a number of leading Islamic scholars participating in the 18th General Conference of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, in appreciation for their efforts to defend Islamic causes.

At the honouring ceremony, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, and chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, King Abdullah bestowed royal medals on a number of scholars and distributed Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought fellowship certificates to others.

His Majesty bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the First Degree on Abdul Kareem Khalifa, former president of the Jordan Academy of Arabic, in appreciation for his academic writings and his service for the Arabic language.

The King also gave the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the First Degree to Al Azhar scholar Osama Al Azhari, in recognition of his contributions to Islamic thought.

Omar Abboud, the director of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue in Buenos Aires, received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the First Degree, in appreciation for his role in promoting interfaith dialogue.

Hamza Yusuf Hanson, co-founder and Director of Zaytuna College in the US, also received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the First Degree, for his contributions to Islamic thought.

His Majesty distributed institute fellowship certificates to Mahmoud Sidqi Al Habbash, the supreme judge of Palestine; Grand Mufti of Chechnya Salah Mezhiev; and Mohammad Al Bouti, president of the Union of Muslim Scholars of the Levant.

In remarks at the ceremony on behalf of the scholars participating in the 18th General Conference of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Al Azhar Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa thanked the King for hosting the conference, commending the institute’s role in promoting peace.

Founded in 1980, the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought includes 120 scholars and thought leaders from over 36 countries around the world.

Seventy scholars from 30 Arab, Muslim, and foreign countries, representing various schools of Islamic jurisprudence, are participating in the institute’s three-day conference.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Khasawneh attended Monday’s ceremony.