Prof. Dr. Aliyu Dahiru Muhammad, IOU Chairman and DVC (Academics), extended congratulations to PhD students from the Department of Islamic Studies who successfully conducted their viva voce on 14 February, 2026.

The candidates are:

1. Candice Islaah Abd al-Rahim with the thesis titled "Arabic as Second Language: Exploring Post-1965 Intersection between Race, Religion and Language Acquisition of Black and Latino American Muslim Converts."
2. Almas Abdul Ghafar with the thesis "The Lure of Spiritual Mystery and Reasons for Mystic Tendencies Among the Contemporary Muslims in Pakistan."
   Both candidates passed with minor corrections.

Prof. Dr. Aliyu also thanked the external examiners particularly Dr. Muhammad Qomoos and Prof Saad Mansour both from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Prof. Dr. Hesham Hasan of Banha University, Egypt. He also thanked the internal examiners and coordinators of the program headed by Dr. Afifa Ibrahim.