A Saudi businessman has promised £1 million to the University of London to pay for the relocation of its London Middle East Institute to an historic building in Bloomsbury.
The donation to the School of oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is one of several contributions made by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, a philanthropist and founder of MBI Group, a conglomerate with interests in the finance, food and oil and gas industries that has assets worth more than £5 billion.
Recent research from the London Middle East Institute has examined the results and prospects of the Arab Spring, and the role of the media in social, cultural and political change in the Middle East.
Sheikh Al Jaber said: “When I started the foundation, it was to give talented Scholars from the Arab world freedom of opportunity to shape their own futures, and that of their communities, countries and the region. Education is the catalyst for improved mutual understanding and I am proud to be the founding patron and donor of the LMEI, which has unrivalled intellectual capital and expertise on the Middle East region.”
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