PUTRAJAYA, 21 November - The presence of renowned scholars from home and abroad to deliver lectures at the Sama' Hadith Sahih Al Bukhari Conference has reflected Malaysia's commitment towards the growth of the Islamic faith in this country.

Therefore, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said this event will be held annually in line with the government's aspirations to preserve the heritage of Islamic knowledge and defend the value of unity of the ummah.

"We have Musabaqah for remembering the Qur'an where the Qur'an is our first source of reference and praise to God, with the existence of the programme... (we are able to) listen to the complete Bukhari Hadith, which means that the two main sources of references for Muslims are complete.

"So hopefully the existence of both of these events will strengthen (the faith) and this is a personal commitment of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Madani government to continue to develop and promote the propagation of Islam in our country", he said.

He was met during the Courtesy Visit of the International Delegation of Scholars on the Sahih Al Bukhari Hadith which was attended by 13 Islamic scholars and experts from various countries.

The delegation was also taken on a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of the government's administrative centre, Putrajaya.

Also present were the Director-General of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), Dato’ Dr. Sirajuddin Suhaimee and the Executive Officer of the Islamic Propaganda Foundation Malaysia (YADIM), Zamri Zainal Abidin.