Visit by Hon. Justice Ibrahim Khalifullah

Imagine having an informal discussion on Diabetes, the water absorption properties of sago or how glass is made,  with a Supreme Court Judge while you are still in school! Well, Al Qamar kids had the unique privilege of doing just that!

Al Qamar Academy was honoured to have Honourable Justice Jb. F.M. Ibrahim Khalifullah, Judge, Supreme Court of India , visit our school on Friday, 20^th December 2013.

Justice Khalifullah toured the Montessori environments and saw the children working. While Nuha explained how she does subtraction, Aathif demonstrated how he splits numbers to do multiplication.  Zainab and Maseerah showed their research on Mammals, while Maryam’s beautiful handwriting caught his eye.  He interacted very informally with all the children, asking them questions and congratulating them on their work.  The Judge also viewed the different projects done by Middle school children including diabetes research, presentation on the Egyptian civilization, an interview with Qudsia Gandhi , IAS, project on the properties of Glass, and even one on the downfall of Napoleon.  Mr. Khalifullah listened patiently to each child and asked incisive questions.

The high point of the visit was Justice Khalifullah’s speech to the Middle school children. He told them stories –real life inspiring stories of human beings who overcame difficult odds to succeed.  Justice Khalifullah encouraged the children to dream and to work hard to make their dreams come true.  He concluded his talk by emphasizing the importance of prayer.  The children listened enthralled and InshaAllah will imbibe his important message.  This small group of children will probably never forget the rare experience of having a Supreme Court Judge come speak to them and interact with them in such a direct and approachable fashion.

“I learnt that the method of imparting education in this institution is unique and my interaction with the children confirmed my assessment” said Justice Khalifullah at the conclusion of his visit.  Al Qamar management, staff and students thanks Honourable Justice Ibrahim Khalifullah for taking time during his vacation to come and visit our school. 

Talk on Al Andalus by Fulbright Scholar

Al Qamar Academy students and some of the moms were very privileged to hear a superb talk on Al Andalus by Deirdre Dlugoleski on Saturday.

The talk started with an exciting account of how Abdurrahman I, the hunted Ummayyad prince, fled across North Africa in 750 CE, seeking refuge with the Berbers, kins of his princess mother to cross into Spain. "What is the name of this strait" Ms. Dlugoleski asked pointing to the map. "Jebel Tariq" came the response. "Yes, Gibraltar or Jebel Tariq". "In a few years,", she continued, "Abdurrahman managed to unite the Muslim forces in Spain and conquer a major part of Spain. That was the beginning of the Muslim rule in Spain which lasted almost 800 years.

The students saw the Great Mosque of Cordoba built by Abdurrahman - with its signature arches and magnificent hall. They heard how Abdurrahman and his descendants established a unique ethos of cultural and religious tolerance, of intellectual pursuit and of modernity. Spain became the conduit for the discoveries and inventions from the East to the West along with precious items for trade and a significant contributor to the body of human knowledge. "The Renaissance in Europe had its roots in the contributions of Andulus" said Ms. Dlugoleski. And towards the end in the 1400's, when Muslim rule shrank to Granada, was built the beautiful Palace of Alhambra. "Its walls are built with words" said Deirdre, showing pictures of exquisite Quranic calligraphy and typical Islamic sculpture.

An exciting part of the lecture was a short quiz, where the audience were shown Spanish words and asked to guess the Arabic origin. Arroz, Azucar, Azafran were easy, while others had the children smacking themselves with "I should have guessed!"

The "short" question session extended to an hour, with children asking their particular queries and receiving patient replies from Ms. Dlugoleski. This was a wonderful presentation. We hope for more such talks which are enlightening, challenging and a source of discovery of our roots.

2nd Prize in Eco Chef @Synergy, APL Global School fest

Manaal Buhari won the 2nd Prize in the Eco Chef Event at Synergy 2013, a inter school cultural fest organized by APL Global School.  Manaal whipped up a full course meal - lettuce salad with olives and feta, couscous, Pannini sandwiches stuffed with peas and carrots, and a heart stopping dessert - rolled oats blended with Cadbury's Silk Chocolate! Yum!!! We have a budding Michelin 5 Star restaurateur here!