Ottawa’s first “elite” private school for Muslims could begin accepting students as early as September 2012.

According to the administrators, the new school will integrate the required Ontario curriculum with Islamic instruction, offer courses such as classical Arabic that aren’t available in the public school system, and allow students to specialise and/or fast-track their high school studies.

The new school is the brainchild of Mohamed Jebara, founder and headmaster of the Ottawa-based Cordova Academy – a religious institute well-known for its Quran recitation and classical Arabic programmes.

At a dinner to raise funds for the purchase of the school building, Br. Jebara revealed that he had developed a program that would enable students to complete their high school studies by the age of 14.

"We want to strive for excellence in all that we do," he said, noting that "A school is not constructed with mortar and bricks but rather by the students and the people it builds."

Community centre

Over 200 people attended the Dec. 17 dinner aimed at raising $500,000 needed to purchase the building.

The building – a former schoolhouse located in central Ottawa – will accommodate not only the school but also a multipurpose community centre.

According to the organizers, this will be the first community centre owned and run by Ottawa Muslims open to all people regardless of faith.

The centre will offer community and social services such as: marriage counselling, after-school youth programs, a food-bank, a banquet hall and activities for seniors. All programmes will be open to Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

"Our vision is to bridge the gap between the message of Islam and the wider society," said Mansuor Faqiri, Cordova Academy’s Administrator, who served as Master of Ceremonies for the event.

"We will be proud to have a community centre which we can call our own and we will work toward bringing Canadians together regardless of their faith," he said.

Imam Zijad Delic, Imam of South Nepean Muslim Community, was the guest speaker at the dinner. He lauded the plans for the new community centre and addressed the topics of what a community is, what a community is based on, and what qualities are needed for a community to succeed.

In his speech he noted the importance of cultivating a strong foundation in one's life and stated "When one loses a sense of belonging to one's faith community, they lose a sense of their selves."

Imam Delic highlighted the importance of encouraging one another in our efforts.

"We need more takbir (exalting the Lord) and less takfir (allegations of heresy)," he said.

He reminded the audience that, "it is important to be proud of who you are, be open toward all those around you and don't segregate from the rest of the society."

The speeches were rounded off with presentations by Cordova Academy's gifted students who demonstrated their Quranic recitation and Arabic skills.

The event also featured over 200 original works of Islamic calligraphy. A large number of these exquisite pieces of art were auctioned off during the dinner to raise funds for the building. ■