The Public Diplomacy Hub for the MENA region (PD Hub), in cooperation with Al-Azhar University and the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (NVIC), brought prominent Dutch scholars in the field of Islamic studies together with prominent scholars of Islamic studies from Al-Azhar University to discuss "Modern Developments in Islamic Studies." Participants of the symposium, which took place in Cairo over a period of 2 days and which included 3 sessions per day, were invited by H.E. ambassador Laurens Westhoff to a dinner at the Dutch residence and to a farewell dinner on the bank of the Nile river to stimulate more discussion in an informal and relaxed atmosphere, alongside the more formal sessions. In addition, professor (em.) Ruud Peters gave a lecture at Al-Azhar University on the 3^rd day.

The symposium proved to be incredibly successful in regard to media coverage which went above all expectations. The coverage of the event started a day before launching the event, and continued for 6 days covering all aspects of the event.

The event was covered by 32 different news outlets, some regional, but mostly Egyptian media, which included all the major media outlets in the country, all state-run, opposition, and all prominent independent newspapers; both online and print. We have been able to find about 108 articles so far.

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