Professor Sharif al Mujahid laid to rest

Professor Sharif al Mujahid, a founding member of the Karachi University’s Mass Communication Department, passed away on Monday morning. He was 93 years old.

His funeral prayers were offered at Masjid-e-Ibrahim in the KU after Namaz-e-Asr. Later, he was buried at the Karachi University Graveyard.

KU acting vice chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, who also attended the funeral, expressed profound grief over the sad demise of the late professor and prayed for the soul of the departed.

Director Evening Programme Professor Dr Nabeel Ahmed Zubairi, Dean Faculty of Management and Administrative Sciences Professor Dr Tahir Ali, heads of various departments, faculty members and students also attended the funeral besides the deceased’s relatives. He has left behind four daughters.

He was born on July 1, 1926 in Madras (now called Chennai), India. He completed BA in 1949 and did a Masters in MA Islamic History in 1951 from the Madras University. In 1952, he got a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Stanford University, USA. He has also received an MA Islamic Studies degree from the McGill University, Canada.

Professor Mujahid was very vocal for the Pakistan Movement and in 1945 started his journalism career with writing articles in newspapers and magazines for the creation of a country for the Muslims of the subcontinent.

He was associated with various daily newspapers and weekly publications and magazines. He was also a member of the Civil and Military Gazette and also worked for the Montreal Star and other foreign publications.

On August 16, 1955 he joined the KU as a lecturer and on September 29, 1970 he becomes an associate professor. He became a professor on July 3, 1972. The federal government appointed him as the Founder Director of the Quaid-e-Azam Academy in 1976. He served the academy till 1989.

In 1981, he was awarded the presidential award on his book on the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah

He wrote a few books and more than 20 research papers. His book ‘Indian Secularism’ was translated in Arabic, while his other publications were also translated in French, Spanish, and other languages. His writings made him a globally acclaimed scholar.

The chairperson and the faculty members of the Department of Mass Communication expressed deep sorrow on the demise of Professor Mujahid and prayed for his eternal peace.