CHICAGO,
April 15, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – With the Muslim population
growing steadily in North America and issue of education gaining
increasing importance, Muslim educators are meeting in Chicago,
Illinois, to share experience and compare notes.
"There
is a wealth of resources and so many wonderful educators here,"
Salma Firm, Vice Principal of the Universal Academy of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, told Islamonline.net.
"I
want to gain from them and find solutions to problems faced by Islamic
schools," she added on the sidelines of the 7th
Annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Educational
Forum.
The
three-day meeting, which kicked off on Friday, April 14, is bringing
together Muslims educators and teachers from various parts of North
America.
This
year’s theme, "Islamic Education: Strengthening Faith &
Enhancing Quality", reflects a conviction among Muslim educators
on the need to strike a balance between academic achievement and the
spiritual development of the students.
The
forum was first convened seven years ago in order to provide a place
for Muslim educators in general and educators in Islamic schools to
network and exchange ideas.
ISNA
is an association of Muslim organizations and individuals providing a
common platform for presenting Islam, supporting Muslim communities,
developing educational, social and outreach programs, and fostering
good relations with other religious communities, civic and service
organizations.
Common
Concerns
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A vendor selling educational software.
(IOL)
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Freda
Shamma from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been attending the forum for the
past seven years.
"This
forum is the best place for me to meet other Islamic educators and to
find out what other people’s concerns are," she told IOL.
A
veteran educator with well over 35 years in the field, a scholar and
renowned curriculum developer, Shamma presently works for the
Foundation for Advancement and Development of Education and Learning
(FADEL).
Mukhtar
Ahmed, the lead organizer, hoped the attendees would establish
friendships and network with one another.
The
forum program was designed to provide a time and place for these
networking opportunities to occur.
Sheikh
Abdullah Idris Ali, a member of the Program Committee, reiterated the
importance of networking.
He
underlined the need for dialogue between the new generation of
educators, present at the forum, and the older generation.
Safaa
Zarzour, co-chair of the forum, hopes the meeting will help emerging
Islamic schools overcome difficulties they may face and improve the
practices of staff, teachers and principals within these institutions.
He
also hoped attendees find answers to any questions they may have
related to Islamic education.
"If
we can get just one step closer to these goals, we will have fulfilled
our mission," agreed Ahmed Elhattab, the interim Secretary
General of ISNA and a key-note speaker of the forum.
