International Award

Editor

Meridyen Association has added yet another international award to its growing list at the 1^st Global Congress for Muslim Public Relations Practitioners, receiving the First Global Muslim Public Relations Excellence Award at a special awards ceremony held in Malaysia.

Hosted in Kuala Lumpur on 05 December 2011 and officiated by Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir, the inaugural Congress recognized Meridyen Association’s Excellent Contributions in the Field of Public Relations Serving World Communities for its Web Portal Project Lastprophet.info.

Istanbul-based, non-governmental organization Meridyen Association, set up as a response to the 2005 Danish Cartoon Crisis, received the international award on the basis of its serving as an important case study in the area of Issue and Crisis Management in Muslim Countries.

Meridyen President H. Hümeyra Şahin, who presented the paper entitled, ‘The PR Case: The Lastprophet.info Project,’ stressed that such events are vital in an ever-globalizing world whereby members of diverse nation-states and faith traditions are required to live together:

“Muslims should not accept being identified as an object of fear rather, than being imprisoned in an Orientalist definition, it is imperative that they present themselves in their true light,” she said.

“It is precisely for this reason that I find initiatives such as this Congress – a global first – both meaningful for our time and imperative also,” Şahin added.

Chairman of the IAMPRC Professor Dato’ Sri Syed Arabi Idid highlighted the significance of the event:

“I welcome all the delegates to this milestone event in the history of the Public Relations industry, not just for Malaysia but for the world. This inaugural event gathers both Muslim and non Muslim Public relations practitioners with the aim of promoting face-to-face communication to optimize the enormous capabilities within the Muslim world.”

The world first event was organized by the International Islamic University Malaysia, the Federation of ASEAN Public Relations Organisation and the Kargozer PR Institute,

Presenting on the issues and challenges in the practice of Public Relations in Islamic countries, Chairman of Cordoba Initiatives, New York, Imam Feisal Abd Rauf addressed the international audience as keynote speaker. Sessions which followed examined such topics as ‘Code of Ethics in Communication/PR – Governance, Transparency and Accountability from Islamic Perspectives,’ ‘Public Relations in the New Political Landscape of Muslim Countries,’ PR Strategies for Unity in Diversity,’ and ‘PR Education in Muslim Countries.’

Attended by academics, Public Relations practitioners and institutes from all continents outside of South America, the Congress addressed the theme, ‘The Practice of Public Relations in Islamic Countries – Past, Present and Future Trends.’

On the first anniversary of its launch, in 2008, Lastprophet.info had received the Al-Mahabba Award in the Mass Media category as the best web portal introducing Prophet Muhammad to the World.

Held in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of HRH Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Nahyan, the Award recognized Lastprophet.info among two hundred works from twenty-eight participating countries.