KARACHI, Sept 19: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammad Ejazul Haq has recommended that Jamia Darul Uloom, Korangi, should be given university status, where each faculty functioned in a full-fledged manner.

During his visit to the Darul Uloom on Saturday, he said: "I am very pleased to see that each faculty here is working on modern lines with standard infrastructure and high calibre teachers. It would be more appropriate to stamp this as Islamic University," he said.

The minister was informed that the religious school was operative in Korangi without any financial support from the government for the last five decades. The chief of Jamia Darul Uloom, Mufti Mohammad Rafi Usmani, told the minister that the institute, spread over 70 acres, had 4,500 students including 500 female students. He said that there were 145 teachers on its payroll.

The minister acknowledged that the madrresah was a role model for other such institutions. He said: "I have also visited some other madressahs, including Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore and Jamia Binoria in Karachi, but this academy is the best among all those.

"Today, madressahs do comply with challenges of modern times," he said and observed that the religious schools were not only imparting Islamic education, but also modern sciences including information technology. Besides, he said, there was standard arrangement for extra-curricular activities for students.

Ejazul Haq went round all the faculties and other facilities of Jamia Darul Uloom, including its boarding houses, computerized laboratories and libraries. Rafi Usmani briefed the minister that it took at least 17 years for a student to get qualified in Islamiat and Arabic, which was equivalent to Masters degree.

He said that students after matriculation in science group could continue getting education in science and technology till last year at the institute. He said that it was made compulsory that a student, who wanted to join Darul Uloom, should be at least matriculate in science.

He told the minister that there were three modern housing blocks, each accommodating 800 students and that two more houses of the same capacity and calibre were under construction.

Rafi Usmani said that the students were given free accommodation and food, rather they got some stipend for their higher performances. He said that the Darul Uloom was also contributing towards promoting Islamic economics, by conducting research work and arranging short-term and long-term courses in Islamic Banking.

The academy was offering postgraduate diploma in Islamic Banking and short and refresher courses in collaboration with other educational institutions, he said. "At least 600 students have been trained in Islamic Banking and an equal number of industrialists attended short courses on Zakat and other basic Islamic trade issues," he said.

He also listed some future projects of the academy to promote Islamic education and help bring economic operations according to the Islamic injunctions. -APP