Ajmer to have World’s First Sufi University

Ajmer: The world’s first university for imparting education on Sufi philosophy will come up very soon in the city of Ajmer, the final resting place of Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan Chisty, considered one of the most influential Sufi saint of the Indian subcontinent. To be named the Gharib Nawaz University, after the title of “Gharib Nawaz (benefactor of the poor) bestowed on the Sufi saint, the educational institution would focus on Sufi studies and research. The dargah of the Sufi saint in Ajmer is a symbol of communal harmony and is visited every year by lakhs of people from all faiths. The final nod for the Garib Nawaz University was given by the ministry of minority affairs in New Delhi after a meeting between its principal secretary, Lalit K Panwar and Dargah Committee chairman Mohammed Obedulla Sharif, besides representatives from Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal and Kerala. The university would be set up on the lines of Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim universities and would include other streams of studies beside teachings and research on Sufi philosophy. The Dargah Committee has written to the Rajasthan government requesting for 500 hectares of land in the Kayad area of the city for developing infrastructure for the university. The Dargah Committee has 80 hectares of land in Kayad where initially, work will begin.
(Reported by Zakir Hussain, Hindustan Times)