Ethiopia is the second largest country in Africa in terms of population, and Muslims make up a large percentage of this country which embraced Islam before Medina. It welcomed the migration of the Companions and enshrined some of their holy bodies. However, this large number of Muslims is almost neglected in the field of organized Islamic academic education, so there was an urgent need for a high education institution that combines authenticity, modernity, excellence, responds to challenges, meets the needs and requirements of the time, preserves Islamic identity, fills the educational gap among Muslim children, and develops the Muslim community to positively contribute to its local, regional, and global environment.
Vision for Ethiopian Islamic University
This introduction, filled with the Islamic history of one of the countries in the eastern part of the dark continent and filled with hope for the Muslims of Ethiopia, was the vision of Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdul Ghaffar, vice president of the first Islamic university in the eastern regions of Ethiopian Somalia. Through it, he tried to outline the beginning of an Islamic institution born on the map of the land of Abyssinia, reviewing the establishment and development of the university through its administration's vision and the strategy of those in charge of the university from a mere dream that used to haunt them to a reality that is now taking shape according to an ambitious strategy.
Establishment and Development
Regarding the establishment and formation of Rasu Islamic University, the university president, Mohammed Ghani Sakkal, said: Since the beginning of the university's inception, the administration has taken two integrated paths for two major and central projects, which are the administrative and academic construction of the university. In an interview with "Al-Mujtamaa", he explained that this path represents the project of the century for the Muslims of Ethiopia in general, and the residents of Somali regions in particular, as they found the opportune moment and hoped for qualification of their children academically and intellectually to compensate for the lack of higher education in Sharia sciences and language.
Ghani mentioned that the university administration started with its three colleges: The Quran and its sciences, Sharia and social sciences, and Arabic language and literature, in addition to the Arabic language institute for non-Arabic speakers. He added: the university now has two batches in these specialties, and competent professors from the region and others are teaching in these colleges.
Rasu University in Ethiopia
Rasu, after which the university was named, is one of the major cities in the eastern Somali region of Ethiopia, one of the 12 Ethiopian regions. Its capital is the city of Jigjiga (620 km from Addis Ababa), and the city witnessed a joyful ceremony last September to graduate about 400 male and female Quran memorizers.
Rasu, also known as the city of knowledge and scholars, houses the "Dar Al-Quran" center for memorizing the Quran and Islamic education, before it recently became Rasu University, where students receive a knowledge infusion of Sharia sciences in jurisprudence, Hadith, interpretation, readings, fundamentals, and Arabic language, to build a generation that carries the burden of calling for the generosity and moderation of Islam.
Vision and Position Strategy
On top of Mount Noor in the city of Rasu, a castle of knowledge and science was established according to a strategic vision under the name of Rasu Islamic University, and the university president proudly declared this achievement: This great institution is the dream that has been haunting the first generation of scholars of the city of Rasu, as they set a great goal of establishing a scientific university city that occupies the top of their priorities. He pointed out that it is located on top of Mount Noor in the western part of Rasu city, north of Aqiq Valley, in the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Ghani's Building Initiative
Ghani continued: These names were chosen in honor of the names of sacred places associated with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the work on this building began with a blessed initiative in which all the people of the city, men and women, tribes and clans, raced to do good deeds, contributing with their money and themselves, followed by the sons of the region scattered around the world, supporting generously and generously, with the results starting to show with the beginning of the towering buildings of the university colleges on the summit of Mount Noor.
University Administration's Vision and Challenges
The university administration continued to work diligently to turn its vision and foresight into tangible reality through implementation and follow-up to achieve the dream of establishing the university and starting classes, with determination and intention to add new colleges and specializations in the fields of economics, management, computer science, and others, in order for roles to complement each other and for the flow of knowledge to extend, according to the university president.
He also addressed the challenges, saying: We strive to overcome the challenges such as the absence of a local model in the field of Islamic universities and the lack of qualified local staff by seeking help from our brothers and sisters from Islamic countries such as Sudan, Yemen, and others.
Raso University's Progress and Importance
He added: Our message through this perspective is to call upon all the efforts of the people of the Somali region inside and outside, as well as our brothers in Arab and Islamic countries, to learn from this experience and contribute to supporting its progress towards realizing our dream of seeing Raso University established on top of Mount Noor, sending light, knowledge, and education to all Muslims.
The Deputy President of the university for academic affairs pointed out that the university was built on a solid foundation based on continuous efforts over decades, carried out by a group of virtuous scholars, led by the esteemed scholar Sheikh Abdul Qadir Sheikh Ibrahim Sheikh Abdul Samad, who sowed the seeds and the fruitful harvest of which was Raso University, the result of the efforts of the scholars of the Quran memorization centers, and prior to that, circles of knowledge and learning in mosques, all integrated into a modern academic framework.
Hopes and Aspirations
Raso University is the first Islamic university in Ethiopia to obtain registration and accreditation from the relevant government authorities on 9/19/2023, marking the start of this blessed journey heralding a bright dawn and heralding a new era for Islam in this country, where this university will be a prominent beacon spreading knowledge and education, and a distinctive mark in the journey of education in Ethiopia, according to Mohamed Ahmed Abdel-Ghaffar.
The university began its journey in its first year with three colleges (Quran and its sciences, Islamic law, Arabic language), to achieve the university's vision and mission based on leadership and excellence in the field of Islamic sciences and conveying the message of moderate Islam through preparing qualified scientific cadres in the same specializations.
The administration aims to establish new colleges in other physical, academic, and scientific specializations, as well as technical and technological diploma studies and specialized institutes in the Arabic and English languages, in addition to establishing a residential city for students and professors to achieve stability, support vertical and horizontal expansion, and highlight excellence towards reaching the horizons of globality.
