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ISAC Education Conference 2024

ISAC Education Conference 2024

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ISAC Conference

Saturday, April 20th, 2024 | 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM | Oasis Convention Centre

Dr. Seema Imam and Dr. Shaza Khan traveled to Toronto, Canada to present at the second annual ISAC (Islamic Schools Association of Canada) conference on April 20, 2024. There were approximately 300 educators who attended the vibrant conference. The theme of the conference was on Sacred Activism, drawing on the seminal work of Imam Dawud Walid [link to his book].

ISAC, which is only in its second year of operation, was established in 2022 after recognizing a need for an organization that networks and supports Islamic school educators in Canada. The co-founders of ISAC, Dr. Asad Choudhary and Dr. Asma Ahmed, met with Dr. Shaza over two years ago to discuss their idea for forming an organization for Islamic schools in Canada.

At the conference, Dr. Seema and Dr. Shaza co-presented their research on the topic of identity and belonging with alumni of Islamic schools. During the presentation, they discussed the Prophetic model and Principles of Islamic Pedagogy, and they shared recommendations for how Islamic school educators can help foster a greater sense of belonging in their students by strengthening teacher-student relationships and creating a positive classroom environment. Participants were asked to apply what they learned from the Prophetic example and principles of Islamic pedagogy to address the concerns raised by alumni in their research study.
Dr. Shaza Khan also moderated the final session with Imam Dawud Walid, Habeeb Quadri, Dr. Shazeema Khan and Dr. Saba Alvi during which panelists were asked to discuss how sacred activism can be practically fostered in Islamic schools.

5 big ideas that the conference was built around included:

● Teaching is not a job; it is a sacred duty. Teachers are heirs of the prophets.
● Sacred Duty of Teachers
● Teaching is the ability to do tarbiyah
● Tarbiyah is the continuous improvement in the dunia and the akhira
● Comprehensive Understanding of Our Deen
● Religion is not an aspect of one’s life
● Social, political, economic are all intertwined
● We believe Islam is a way of life that permeates all aspects of life
● Our teaching should not look/feel the same as the teaching in public schools.
● Al-Murabbi:
● Supporting one with knowledge, behaviour, attitude, skill, and mindset to love and devout
oneself for the Allah SWT
● Deep care for the development of the student holistically, not just cognitively
● We are not teaching and learning to the test
● We are teaching and learning to pass the bigger test with Allah SWT
● Enduring ثوابت and Changing متغيرات Principles of Islam
● Enduring principles are like the roots of the tree: rooting ourself in unchanging principles, and to
understand the changing circumstances (mutaghayarat)
● the goal is to look at the changing circumstances in light of the enduring principles
● Enduring principles: (If the situation changes, the principles still stand)
● five pillars
● articles of faith
● decisive rulings in the Quran: قطعية أحكام) e.g., interest, slander)
● Islamic character/manners
● Objective of Shariah (protection of religion, soul, intellect, progeny, wealth)
● If you change the enduring principles, you chip away at your identity as a Muslim.
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