International Islamic Propagation Center (IIPC)
To further the Quranic message, Mohammad Shaikh soon decided to leave the Merchant Navy and enter the field of Da’wah on a full time basis. Thus the International Islamic Propagation Center (IIPC) came into being at Karachi in 1985. Initial activities at the IIPC consisted of discussions and discourses on the Qur’an on a one to one basis with the educated elite of the city and distribution of videos of famous scholars of comparative religion. The people of Karachi soon joined hands as they found the approach to be rational and convincing. As the Center grew more popular and the number of visitors expanded, Shaikh decided to present his lectures at larger gatherings through the patronage of donors. His initial lectures were hosted at community venues or family gatherings, but now the need arose for a more organized approach, and this saw a series of lectures being held in the 1990’s at the Finance and Trade center auditorium in the heart of Karachi’s financial district. In a way these lectures were Shaikh’s first full fledged public appearances and along with supporters, these also brought him a fair share of critics, mostly ranging from conservative religious seminaries. In those days Karachi was infamous for religious intolerance and an unsympathetic attitude to diversity of beliefs and critics of Shaikh pressurized the owners of lecture halls and public venues to bar him from holding his talks or else they were warned of dire consequences. In view of this, the need arose for a more private and secure venue for conducting programs and consequently funds were raised for a custom built hall and accompanying research center for IIPC to be constructed at PECH Society of Karachi. It was at this new center that further lectures were recorded adding new titles to the earlier series of topics and till date it continues to enable an uninterrupted delivery of Qur’anic education.
