Hyderabad: Egyptian Senator and the Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Egyptian Senate, Prof. Yusuf Amir, visited the office of The Siasat Daily on Monday and meet its Editors, Zahid Ali Khan and Amer Ali Khan. It should be noted that in the past, he also served as the Vice President of the academic and student affairs of one of the great religious institutions of the Islamic world Al-Azhar University, Egypt.
While praising the national and international services of the Siasat, he said, this Urdu newspaper has set a bright example not only in India but also in the entire Urdu world through its welfare works. He said that Allah (SWT) selects some of His servants for such services and takes the task of serving the people from them.
Prof. Amer said that Al-Azhar University has three departments of Urdu in boys’ branch, girls’ branch, and Islamic studies branch where a four-year BA Urdu course is conducted, there are 150 students in these three departments. After BA, MA and then Ph.D. is also available. Apart from this, Urdu is taught as a first language in five other universities in Egypt, including Cairo University, Ain Shams University, Alexandria University, Mansoura University and Tanta University.
Prof. Yusuf Amir had actually come to participate as a special guest in the two-day international seminar organized by the Urdu Department of Osmania University. Prof. Amer along with Prof. SA Shukoor, who was the former President of the Department of Urdu, at Osmania University and former Director of Telangana Urdu Academy and Prof. Khwaja Muhammad Ikramuddin of JNU reached the Siasat office to meet Zahid Ali Khan.
On this occasion, he explained in a detailed and beautiful manner about the Urdu courses being run in Jamitul Azhar, Egypt, the students studying and graduating in these courses and Urdu is also being promoted there.
Prof. Yusuf Amir also revealed during the conversation that a student from the Urdu Department of Al-Azhar University has completed his Ph.D. in Journalistic, Social, Economic, and National Services of Daily Siasat, which is perhaps a unique honor for Urdu newspapers around the world.
It is necessary to mention that Prof. Yusuf Amir has become the identity of Urdu in Egypt. He speaks Urdu in such an impressive manner that anyone who listens to it could be surprised.
He told Zahid Ali Khan that there are separate departments of Urdu in many universities in Egypt, especially in Jamiatul Azhar and he himself has been a professor of Urdu in the Department of Urdu Language and Literature and Faculty of Languages since 2008. He has exceptional command over English, Persian and Urdu and is also a member of at least 9 committees at Al-Azhar University.