| In the present global age, work in the field of world religions has become most urgent, more
so a necessity. Religion by all means is the ground from which the identity of persons,
cultures and civilizations emerges; therefore, it is rather impractical to relate across peoples
and civilizations without deeply and positively appreciating the religious grounds upon which
multitude lives are built. If such is the role of religion in human life, its study can
indispensably become the study of humanity itself.
Provided all this, the current world, and especially our country, is in dire need of
understanding the differences in people belonging to other sects and religions, creating a
tolerant attitude, and finding a commonality to enhance the relationships and outlook
towards life. The most important task of study of world religions is to find out a principle of
unity which will harmonize and balance the claims and counter claims of warring religions
into one unity. Unity, however does not mean uniformity of religious conduct and belief, but a
harmonious blending of religious variety into a symphony of spiritual striving and quest.
Importance of study of World Religions as a separate discipline of study in colleges and
universities in Pakistan cannot be ignored. In the present situation of 21st
century, where
Islam is portrayed as a religion which gives lesson of terrorism, the need to introduce and
study this specialization becomes tenfold. In Pakistan, people are divided into sects and are
fighting to safeguard their own schools of thought. The foreign media is also presenting
Pakistan as a country where terrorists are prepared, while the inner story is drastically
different. All the divine religions, including Islam, instruct peace and tolerance while the word
Islam itself stands for peace, let alone its message of brotherhood, love and harmony.
All over the world, there is vast advancement going on in this field. The world renowned
universities like Harvard and Hampshire have set up centers for this area of study. Similarly,
countries like France, Malaysia and India have an abundance of research work undergoing
in this aspect. But, unfortunately, in our country, no considerable efforts have been made to
establish a centre where studies and research in the field of world religion could undergo.
Pakistan is in constant threat of terrorism which is particularly springing up from intolerance
towards people of different sects and religions. In this scenario, study of world religions can
help neutralize the views of a lot of people and, thus, cultivate a feeling of unison or respect
in at least some aspect of each other’s faith.
Department of Islamic Studies has felt all the implications of the current scenario hence
decided to start BS Islamic Studies with major in World Religions. The first four semesters
will emphasize on Islamic studies compromising of history and principles of Quranic Studies,
history and principle of Hadith Studies, history and principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, along
with courses of social sciences while the last four semesters will be basing upon study of
World Religions comprising of Quranic interpretation and issues of comparative religions,
study of various religions like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, World religions in
light of Islam, Islam and Modern Western Thought, Interfaith Dialogue, Comparison major
themes of religions, Study of criticism on comparative study of religions . The board of
Department of Islamic Studies has unanimously approved the program. |
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Provide in depth knowledge of basic Islamic Sciences such as al-Quran, al-Hadith,
al-Fiqh, Islamic History, Islamic Thought, Sirah, Islamic Culture and Islamic
Civilization. |
