ATP Quiz: Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre, Lahore

Posted on February 12, 2007
Filed Under >Darwaish, Architecture, ATP Quiz, Education, Religion
9 Comments
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By Darwaish

Many of the readers guessed the photo in last ATP Quiz right. The photo is indeed of the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre (SZIC), Lahore.

I spent two wonderful years at Institute of Business Administration, Punjab Univeristy (SZIC is just behind IBA) but never noticed this beautiful campus. I guess there are so many trees around it and its hardly visible. When I first discovered it a few months ago, I hardly saw any students around. I think either they are very selective in their admission policy or no formal degree program have yet been started. I am sure many of us would love to study there just because of the beautiful architecture inspired by Lahore’s rich Mughal heritage and some really well maintained lawns.

According to the Punjab University website:

In order to streamline instructions and research in Qur’anic Teachings and Arabic Studies and to further cement the fraternal ties existing between the two Islamic countries of UAE and Pakistan, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahayan, President of United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, established three identical Islamic Centres in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

He has especially stressed the need to pull these studies out of their conventional grooves and make them compatible with new developments in the fields of modern science and technology. The integration of Computer Science to Qur’anic and Arabic Studies is imperative to face new realities. His Highness deserves laurels for thinking far ahead into the future. The Qur’an Computer combination is ideal that will cater for precision of reasoning and clarity of presentation among the scholars who receive instructions at such Centers. This is the most pressing need of the Ummah. Since Islam is the universal religion and Qur’an, the ultimate Book of wisdom, as scientific study of Qur’an is intended to remove the cobwebs of woolly thinking and to present Islam as the panacea of all contemporary maladies. Inspired by the noble sentiments, the Government of United Arab Emirates established and equipped these Centres. They were transferred to the Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and handed over to its three Universities namely: Karachi, Punjab and Peshawar in 1985.

9 responses to “ATP Quiz: Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre, Lahore”

  1. Eidee Man says:

    [quote comment=”33846″]Any chance we can have a Sheikh Zayed *Science* Centre too?[/quote]

    Well, it’s kind of pathetic to expect foreign donors to put up the cash for creating such institutions. The problem with Science and Technology research is not in the number of centers and beautiful buildings, it is in the QUALITY of teachers and the curriculum (and testing methods).

    I actually think it is quite important to have solid instutions that impart Islamic theological knowledge via a back-to-basics approach. As the joke goes, in Pakistan, the best performing kids go to medical school, the next best go to engineering, the girls go to arts, and the totally incompetent pick up religion.

    We need some decent, intelligent people to study and teach about religion….this would be the solution to a lot of our ‘religious’ problems.

  2. Poor Hungry Doc says:

    [quote comment=”33846″]Any chance we can have a Sheikh Zayed *Science* Centre too?[/quote]

    I certaily hope so too. Looking at the ability and imagination of Pakistani students despite being put through the ratta system of Matric and FSc, it is almost criminal that thier abilities aren’t cultivated and utilized for scietific research.

  3. shirazi says:

    Darwaish: When were you in IBA. I was in next door in Human Resource Center?

  4. MU says:

    Any chance we can have a Sheikh Zayed *Science* Centre too?

  5. Owais Mughal says:

    Darwaish Saheb. so i guessed right. By the way there is an exact replica of this building in Karachi university also. minus the greenery of course.

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