The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a bill for establishing the first of its kind Sufism university. Sindh Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq moved the bill, which was supported by all other parties including the MQM.
However, the senior education minister and his department were saved embarrassment by National People’s Party (NPP) lawmaker Arif Mustafa Jatoi, who pointed out that there was no mention of the ‘Faculty of Sufism’ at the university in the bill.
Haq agreed to Jatoi’s point, and a Sufism faculty was included through an amendment introduced by the NPP member.
Some other amendments were also introduced by Jatoi and MQM’s Khalid Ahmed to remove basic mistakes in the bill, which the house adopted.
The university called ‘University of Sufism and Modern Sciences’ will be established at Bhit Shah, the hometown and resting place of Poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, situated in Hyderabad district.
Besides the faculty of Sufism, the university will have also offer courses in management and business administration, education and literacy, science and technology, arts, design and music, social sciences, language and cultural studies, policy planning and development and law.
Haq told the legislative house that the establishment of the University of Sufism will promote religious harmony and discourage extremism in the society. “Such a university is especially needed during the current scenario when the country is facing extremism as Sufism is based on peace and harmony, and the university will bring positive changes in the society,” he added.
MQM’s Syed Sardar Ahmed was of the view that bringing such a bill was a timely step, as the society is faced with chaos. “Through the university, the people would know that when a simple suicide is Haraam, suicide attacks are forbidden in Islam.”
PML-F leader and Sindh Youth Affairs Minister Jam Madad Ali said the message of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and other Sufi poets was to bring peace and love to the society and the message would spread through such a university.
Newly-appointed PML-Q’s Environment Minister Sheheryar Maher said the university will promote Sufism, which is already being followed in the Sindh for centuries, in an organised manner.
