Jeddah, Dhu-AlQa'dah 13, 1439, July 26, 2018, SPA -- The Islamic Solidarity Fund, a subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has decided to contribute 1.7 million American dollars to the Islamic University in Niger (IUN) for the academic year 2017-18, totaling its contributions to the IUN, since its establishment in 1978, to some US$ 38 million. OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen explained that the grant is in implementation of the resolution of the Fund’s Permanent Council in its latest session held at Jeddah-based General Secretariat, in February 2018. He said it is of basic importance to support the IUN to tend to the needs of French-speaking western African Muslim people, assisting it in its mission to spread Muslim culture and the Islamic learning tradition in this very crucial part of the Muslim world. For the record, the Islamic University in Niger was established as an affiliate body of the OIC following a resolution from the Second Islamic Summit Conference (Pakistan, February 1974). --SPA 13:05 LOCAL TIME 10:05 GMT 0007 www.spa.gov.sa/w722012