Al-Jamia: Blending modern education with Dawah

The Islamic University (Al-Jamia Al-Islamiya) in Shantapuram, Kerala, has been playing a significant role in spreading the message of Islam across India and abroad. Its graduates are capable of addressing contemporary issues on the basis of the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah and counter smear campaigns against Islam.
Established in 1955 as a college for teaching the Qur’an, Hadith, Arabic language, Islamic history and Islamic jurisprudence, it was developed into a university in 2003 to expand its reach and horizon. “Transforming the Islamiya College into a university was one of the dreams of Islamic activists in the state,” said Abdullah Manham, rector of Al-Jamia. Yousuf Al-Qaradawi, a renowned Islamic scholar and author of several Islamic books, opened the university, which is first of its kind in the south Indian state of Kerala.
“The medium of instruction in our colleges is Arabic. This makes Al-Jamia different from other colleges and universities in India,” said Manham, a graduate of Um Al-Qura University in Makkah who has worked about 25 years in Saudi Arabia.
“We also offer a diploma course in Islamic Economics and Finance, which is first of its kind in India. Eleven batches have already passed out and our graduates have got good jobs in India and Gulf countries. There is big demand for this course and even some M.Com and MBA graduates have joined this one-year course.”
The faculty of language and translation at Al-Jamia has become very popular since its start in 2009 as students seeking jobs in the Gulf prefer this one-year intensive program that enables them to master both English and Arabic, the rector said.
Speaking about future programs, he said Al-Jamia wants to develop its diploma course in Islamic economics and finance into a full-fledged PG program with Calicut University recognition. “We also would like to develop the Dawah faculty next year by introducing a new syllabus to enhance capabilities of Islamic propagators. The program is redesigned to help students obtain an MA in comparative religion from a recognized university,” he explained. The university encourages its students to make use of online courses to help them receive degrees in Arabic language and Islamic economics and finance.
Manham also disclosed his university’s plan to open a new campus in Tamil Nadu, adding that the project is still under study. However, he pointed out that the university has got enough land to establish the new campus. He hoped Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries would extend financial support to Al-Jamia to implement its new projects.
“We are thankful to Prince Sultan Foundation in Saudi Arabia for extending a generous donation for our science and technology campus, which is under construction,” the rector said and praised Saudi Ambassador Dr. Saud Mohammed Alsati for his support.
Al-Jamia is planning to expand its cooperation with universities in Saudi Arabia, GCC and other Arab countries. “We have signed a MoU with Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh for exchange of students, teachers and visiting professors and cooperation in research, textbooks and syllabus preparation. We want to take more concrete steps in this regard shortly.”
A similar agreement has been signed with the International Islamic University, Malaysia, which is based in Kuala Lumpur. “We have good cooperation with Al-Azhar and they have expressed readiness to admit our students and recognize our degrees. One of our teachers has joined Al-Azhar for research.” Qatar University also admits Al-Jamia students and provides Arabic language training to its teachers.
Students from different parts of India are given admission at Al-Jamia while many of its teachers come from outside Kerala. The university’s management is currently implementing a number of endowment projects to develop permanent revenue sources to meet its expenses. “We provide all support and facilities for our students to develop their skills through extracurricular programs,” the rector said.