Association of Muslim Social Scientists in Great Britain has announced that it has bestowed its prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award†for the year 2007 to reisu-l-ulema Ceric, says the Association’s president, Dr. Anas Alsheik Ali:
“It is my honour to announce that the Association of Muslim Social Scientists in Great Britain, having respect for your outstanding intellectual contribution to the mission of Islam, and for the truthful influence upon the development of Islamic thought in the world, has bestowed upon you the “2007 Lifetime Achievement Awardâ€. This is the highest honour of our Association. We respect that you have earned it due to your extraordinary achievements and great devotion to Islam which you have exhibited by way of leading your community through the most difficult challenges of the modern history. In the face of all the difficulties, you have remained true to the principles of co-existence and respect among peoples. Your vision of modern Islam is the right answer to the challenges of our timesâ€.
The Association of Muslim Social Scientists (AMSS) was established in 2000 in London, with the purpose of enticing the development of Islamic thought and opening to the possibilities for research into solutions of the problems which Muslims, especially in Europe, are faced with today.
The significance of this “Lifetime Achievement Award†of the AMSS in London is best illustrated by the previous honourees: Ali Mazrui (2000); Alija Izetbegovic (2001); Zaki Badawi (2002); Edward Said (2003); Martin Lings (2004); Fuat Sezgin (2005) and Muhamed Abdul-Halim (2006).
The Award will be handed to reisu-l-ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric on May 15, 2008, in the Brunei Gallery in the presence of the Muslim intellectual and cultural elite, as well as Christian, Jewish and world dignitaries. At that occasion, reisu-l-ulema Dr. Mustafa Ceric will deliver a speech themed “Toward Muslim Social Contract in Europeâ€.
In his statement for Mina, reisu-l-ulema Dr. Ceric has said: “ It is my honour to accept the “Lifetime Achievement Award†from a such prestigious organization as is AMSS in London. My honour is that much greater given that the Award had been bestowed upon great minds such as our President, Alija Izetbegovic; Martin Lings, one of the greatest spiritual intellectuals of our times; Prof. Fuat Sezgin, certainly the greatest encyclopedia expert of all times, and Prof. Edward Said, one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. Surely, this Award belongs more to my Bosnian people and my Islamic Association than to me personallyâ€.