International University of Africa

This article is about an Islamic university in Khartoum. For the Christian university in Nairobi, see Africa International University.
International University of Africa
جامعة أفريقيا العالمية
Jāmiʿat afreqia al-alaamia
official logo of The International University of Africa
TypeSemi-Private/Charity University
Established1977
Vice-ChancellorProfessor Hatim Osman
Location
Sudan Khartoum
,
Sudan

15°31′57″N 32°34′05″E / 15.5326°N 32.5680°E / 15.5326; 32.5680
CampusUrban
Colours      [1]
AffiliationsFUIW
AAU
Websitehttp://www.iua.edu.sd
The main gate

The International University of Africa (Arabic: جامعة افريقيا العالمية) is a private university in Khartoum, Sudan. It is a member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. The university has faculties of Education and Humanities, Shariah and Islamic Studies, of Pure and Applied Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.[2]

The university has its origins in the Islamic African Centre, established in Khartoum in 1977 with financial help from Saudi Arabia[3] and other Arab States of the Persian Gulf[4] to train preachers and educate young African Muslims and "imbue them with the Salafist view of Islam."[4] In 1992, the military government of Colonel Omar Al-Bashir upgraded the institute to a university. Although the word "Islamic" was dropped from the title, Islamic studies are an important part of the curriculum.[5] The university has been active in Islamic higher education in sub-Saharan Africa since it was created.[6]

Due to its geographic location and cultural history, Sudan has been hosting a steady flow of people from neighbouring countries, who were either in pursuit of religious knowledge or were on their way to perform the hajj pilgrimage. (Port Sudan lies directly across the Red Sea from Mecca's port city of Jeddah.) Some pilgrims stayed behind, either with a sheikh (religious leader) or fleeing from religious persecution, which set in as a result of European colonization. Others were forced by incessant wars to seek refuge and education in Sudan. As of 2010, the university had almost 6000 students. Its 93-acre campus is located in the South-Eastern part of Khartoum State.[7]

  1. ^ from "The brand colour – International University of Africa blue".
  2. ^ "International University of Africa". Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. Archived from the original on 2005-01-25. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bronson-135 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference kepel-181 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rosander1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ MEGAN LINDOW (July 6, 2007). "Once Radical, a Sudanese Institution Has Changed Its Approach". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
  7. ^ "About Us". iua.edu.sd/english. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.