Junaid Jamshed Raises Funds for Darul Uloom New York
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Junaid Jamshed, a pop singer turned Islamic preacher, appeared at a fundraiser for Darul Uloom New York. The event was held on May 22 at the Mehran Restaurant in Fremont/Newark, CA.
Darul Uloom New York was founded in 1997 to serve as an institution in which Muslim children could be imbued true Islamic values in a humble Islamic environment.
Junaid Jamshed stressed the importance of preserving an Islamic identity in America for which Islamic institutions such as Darul Uloom New York were vital.
Junaid was the first pop star on the Pakistani music scene. He initially rocketed to fame in 1987 with the patriotic song Dil Dil Pakistan as the lead singer of Pakistan’s first ever pop band, Vital Signs. At the height of his career, he left the world of glitz and glamour in 2004 and become associated with the Tablighi Jamaat. Now he is singing Naats and Hamds.
On the audience demand he presented his popular Naats.
World renowned Qari, Sheikh Hassan Abunar, explained the achievements and working of Darul Uloom. Currently 205 students are enrolled out of which 56 reside on the campus. There are 7 teachers for Hafiz, 3 for Nazra, and 10 for Alim Course. Sheikh Abunar said that the Darul Uloom spends $5,000.00 to prepare a Hafiz.
About 30 students have graduated from the Alim course in order to continue their studies abroad. The full course is actually a seven-year course, the first five years offered and taught at Darul Uloom, before going on for higher studies elsewhere. Approximately 10 of these students have become certified scholars of Islam and are currently working across the country.
Along with the Hifz-ul-Quran and Aalim courses, the Darul Uloom provides tutoring of required academic subjects from the 4th grade to the 10th grade levels based on New York City home schooling standards. The subjects of Math, English, Science, and Social studies are taught by Muslim teachers.
The Darul Uloom also has GED and SAT preparation courses and tutoring available for students above the 10th grade level.
Sheikh Hassan Abunar said by providing an Islamic environment, the Darul Uloom endeavors to ensure that each student is given an opportunity to achieve his full potential while safeguarding his Islamic Identity.
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