Wessex Jamaat held "Know your Neighbour" programme on Monday 10th January 2011. It invited 14 Religious Education trainee teachers from the University of Chichester to meet with the youth and members of Wessex Jamaat including madrasah teachers.
It was an event that lasted about two and a half hours that gave the to-be-teachers a chance to view the religion of Islam through the perspective of the children that they were going to teach. A group of children from Wessex Madrasah were given the opportunity to express their personal views on living as Muslims in the U.K. and the way Islam is taught to them in school and Madrasah.
The program commenced with everyone discussing at various tables. The tables were set out in a way that there were 2 madrasah students on each table with 1 Madrasah teacher, along with 2 guests from the University of Chichester.
The programme began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and its translation by Brother Ahmed Canani and Brother Abbas Alimohamed, both students from the madrasah
This was followed shortly by a welcome speech by the Vice President of Wessex Jamaat, Brother Taki Jaffer. Thereafter Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo set the context of the programme.
Everyone from the community then had a group discussion amongst their table about the experiences of being a Muslim. This gave a good understanding to the Religious Education trainee teachers to see how muslims live and practice their religion as a way of life. The guests also had an opportunity to pose any questions.
Each guest was then requested to give their feedback about what they had learnt by listening to the madrasah students. They had to mention something new that they had learnt during the program to the rest of the audience that had attended it along with them.
The programme came to an end with a vote of thanks by Dr Ruth Mantin, the Head of Religious Education at the University of Chichester. After the event she said: 'Coming to Wessex Jamaat is an eye opening opportunity because Religious Education teachers get a window in to Islam as it is lived. This is truly the greatest benefit for our university because such a practical experience of Islam can then get positively reflected in the classroom.'
Tahir Kanani, a Madrasah student said: 'I really liked the program because it gave us the opportunity to talk freely and let the guests spread the true message of Islam with the rest of the world.'
The Resident Alim, Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo, on his views of the day, said: 'Alhamdulillah, having the teachers was an inspiration not only for our guests but also an opportunity for our youth to exemplify their understanding of Islam. This was truly a magnificent interfaith event, which was a very useful program for everyone. Inshallah we pray that this event will also take place in the following years. Ameen."
Story written by Zahra Nurmohamed and Fatema Nasser