JEDDAH — Dar Al-Hekma University honored Dr. Saleha Abedin, the president’s advisor, to mark her achievements and dedication to the university since 1997 recently at the univeristy's Prince Sultan Auditorium.



“This honoring ceremony was way overdue. Dr. Saleha is a dear friend and a mentor whom I shared a dream with,” said Dr. Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, the president of Dar Al-Hekma University."



She added: "This long journey has been rewarding and extremely fruitful. To look back and see the dream becoming a reality with Dar Al-Hekma and the array of empowered and distinguished young women is such an inspiring experience."



Abider's two daughters —  American political staffer Huma Abedin and PR, fashion and social media consultant and public policy advocate in New York City Heba Abedin — and eight grandchildren were also present at the ceremony to witness the honor bestowed on her by the university.



“I am speechless which is never the case,” said Dr. Abedin who was clearly surprised and overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you so much Dr. Suhair for considering me a mentor, but in reality I learned from her as much as she learned from me."



Master of ceremony Laraine Anne Valles introducing Dr. Abedin as, "She is a teacher, a writer and debater. She is an innovator, a leader, a savvy negotiator. She is also an advocate for women’s empowerment, a promoter of interfaith and intercultural dialogue and one heck of a story-teller." — SG