Updated 6 October 2010

At the invitation of Mombasa Jamaat, members of Islamic Education’s Islamic Religious Education (IRE) team visited Mombasa between 20 and 22 August 2010, to assist with information and discussions around the promotion of IRE at the Jaffery Academy and specifically to clear doubts and contentions related to the AQA Units 8 & 9 Islam in the GCSE Religious Studies. The Team consisted of Sayyid Ali Naqvi, Shaykh Abbas M H Ismail, Mulla Mohamed Kassamali, and Shaykh Safder Jaffer.

The IRE team met with the Jamaat’s Islamic Education Board on Friday 20 August and then with the wider community on Saturday 21 August. Both meetings were fruitful and many areas were covered.

On Saturday 21 August The World Federation’s IRE team comprehensively presented the background and current situation of the GCSE:

• Sayyid Ali Naqvi delivered the opening address in which he outlined the hard work that had gone into the development of the curriculum and the notes related to the GCSE Religious Studies, whilst maintaining that the GCSE is a means to an end and not the end-goal itself. He also made it clear that the Team was in Mombasa at the Jamaat’s invitation to assist with information and to clear doubts and contentions related to AQA Units 8 & 9 (Islam), and that the decision regarding its adoption at the Jaffery Academy rested with Mombasa Jamaat only
• Shaykh Safder Jaffer presented the Islamic Education Team’s IRE vision and the background as to why the GCSE was adopted. He also provided insight into how it has proven to be beneficial to the community and how it will add value to the Mombasa Jaffery Academy in particular considering its changing demographics over time and the opportunity of Tableegh to the wider audience
• Shaykh Abbas M H Ismail spoke on the process of consultation and careful consideration given by WF-IE and the madaris prior to deciding to opt for AQA Units 8 & 9 instead of Edexcel Units 4 & 11
• Mulla Mohamed shared some of his teaching experiences in the madrasah and highlighted the areas of the successful introduction of Shia aspects in the mainstream of education which hitherto had remained unacknowledged. He ended with the expression of hope that with our continuous active participation, the Shia aspect would in due course be fully recognised and embedded in the mainstream, from the nursery to the university level of education 
• Al – Hajj Sajjad Walji spoke on behalf of Mombasa IEB on some of the concerns related to GCSE Religious Studies

Mombasa Jaffery Academy has now taken the positive step of adopting AQA Units 8 & 9 Islam as from this academic year. The World Federation has pledged its full support for teachers training and other areas for the promotion of IRE.

Sayyid Ali Naqvi commented, “It was very important to have visited Mombasa and to have engaged with the dedicated volunteers there. I applaud the Mombasa Jamaat Chairman, al-Hajj Sajjad Khaki, to have invited my Team in order to allay misconceptions. As I have reiterated many times in the past and also in my opening address in Mombasa, WF Islamic Education is committed to providing the best Islamic Education to our youngsters. The GCSE has been identified as the current vehicle for this and until a better alternative is presented, we cannot simply discard this initiative.

“The issue of updating our madrasah curriculum is a very relevant one and as per Dr Asghar Moledina’s Eid Message , my Team is working towards holding a Madrasah Retreat to look into this and produce an action plan accordingly. We require the full support of the cross section of the community to succeed. May Allah grant us the desired positive outcomes, ameen.”

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For further information email islamiceducation@world-federation.org