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SAO PAULO: Latin American Islamic associations gathered within the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo lately to signal an settlement to create the Latin American and Caribbean Islamic College.
The tutorial establishment will enable future Muslim leaders to check in their very own area, with out the necessity to transfer to Center Jap nations and different Muslim nations.
Imams in Latin America had been discussing the thought for years. Now, Brazil’s Islamic Dissemination Middle for Latin America, recognized by the Portuguese acronym CDIAL, and the Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs in Latin America and the Caribbean have lastly made it doable.
CDIAL and the council established a cope with the Islamic College of Minnesota, which is able to present educational programs and supplies for the brand new establishment.
Initially, it would have headquarters in Sao Paulo, with courses in Portuguese, and Mexico Metropolis, with courses in Spanish.
“We’re starting with the cities with the next variety of potential college students. However our thought is that different nations create their very own branches sooner or later,” CDIAL’s Vice President Ziad Saifi instructed Arab Information.
He mentioned this system was impressed by conventional Islamic programs similar to these provided by the Islamic College of Madinah in Saudi Arabia and Al-Azhar College in Egypt.
“The college’s objective will not be solely to coach future sheikhs, however any one that desires to deepen his or her data of Islam,” he added.
Even non-Muslim college students will have the ability to enroll in courses, mentioned Egyptian-born Sheikh Abdelhamid Metwally, who would be the college’s president and educational director.
“We need to educate folks in Islamic tradition and custom. We actually will have the ability to work on the formation of sheikhs. College students who need to pursue such a path will have the ability to proceed their research,” he added.
“However we additionally need to merely educate folks on Islam. Each Muslims and non-Muslims must have a greater understanding of our faith.”
Residing in Brazil for 15 years, Metwally believes it’s fascinating to coach in Latin America non secular leaders who will work within the area.
That can be the opinion of Sheikh Mohamed Mansour, who will coordinate the Spanish-language programs in Mexico Metropolis.
“We have to educate folks right here to allow them to suppose from right here. Many instances, folks go to the Center East to check and once they come again, they need to impose the Center Jap tradition in Latin America. That’s not doable,” he instructed Arab Information.
Islam has been rising all through Latin America and the Caribbean, “however we aren’t rising effectively if we don’t have true data,” Mansour mentioned. “We’d like a tutorial basis, one thing that goes past the mosques’ instructing.”
In Mexico, he defined, solely Spanish might be spoken in school aside from Arabic-language programs — if a professor or teacher can solely communicate Arabic, a translator will likely be current. “God keen, quickly we could have masters and PhD programs too,” he added.
Saifi mentioned many sheikhs and the Muslim neighborhood as an entire have been supporting the creation of the college.
“Fortunately, folks have been giving their time to this challenge and dealing on the interpretation of academic supplies and different duties,” he added, expressing hope that programs will start in August.
The coordinating group is engaged on the college’s official accreditation in every of the area’s nations.
At first the college will function with distance studying, given the rising variety of COVID-19 instances in most Latin American nations. However a bodily location is being chosen in Sao Paulo, Saifi mentioned.
No distinction will likely be made between Sunni and Shiite college students, and women and men alike will have the ability to enroll.
Saifi expressed hope that sooner or later, the Brazilian department will welcome college students coming from different Portuguese-language nations similar to Angola and Mozambique.
“We nonetheless have a low variety of mosques in Brazil, however their quantity is rising. We’ll actually want extra sheikhs and folks educated on Islam,” he mentioned.
Metwally agreed, saying: “In my very own neighborhood in Sao Paulo, now we have members who’re already all for enrolling. We’ll educate good Muslims.”
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