Goals & Objectives
- The Centre has dedicated its staff and resources to provide a learning environment for those who intend to further their knowledge of the Deen (Islamic faith) and to acquire leadership skills to serve their communities.
- The Centre encourages an actively engaged and inclusive learning community based upon Muslim tenets, the Holy Qur’an, Islamic tradition and ethics, trust, integrity, respect, dignity, equal opportunity and diversity in a safe, welcoming physical environment.
- The Centre is a source for learning Islamic traditional knowledge in a Canadian context by providing support through courses, programs, seminars and information literacy which will prepare the students for future careers in various religious services such as imamacy, chaplaincy, traditional scholarship and community leadership.
- The Centre is a source for consultation on the Islamic faith and Islamic studies.
The Centre as a whole and in all of its parts, will continue to establish thorough priorities and assessment policies that anticipate our needs and focus our efforts and resources in support of our mission, vision, and goals.
Message from the Chairman
Praise be to Allah and May His blessings be showered on His Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The Canadian Muslim Communities have become an integral part of the fabric and reality of the Canadian society and the need for trained Muslim workers such as Imams, Chaplains, teachers and workers in mosques and Muslim Community centres and schools is one of the biggest challenges that is faced throughout the country.
The Canadian experience has very well enriched the Muslim communities in different ways, but it has also put forward many expectations and challenges. In the absence of a local training program for Islamic Services Professionals, more challenges and problems are expected to arise in the near future. Due to a lack of - or more precisely a shortage of - a trained, educated and experienced religious leadership which takes into consideration the Canadian context without compromising the Islamic values and principles, the majority of services are provided by volunteer workers who come from different educational and cultural backgrounds.
Al-Hamdulillah, in 2011 we embarked on this project to fill this gap and contribute with the experience and expertise of many qualified scholars and teachers who have served tirelessly the North American community. In addition to their religious and professional education, these respected individuals have also gained a practical education over decades of service by going through different challenges and situations. We strongly believe in an education that is founded on traditional values and teachings while being mindful of the context where we live. The ability of relating the text‚ whether revealed knowledge or tradition - to people’s reality and vice versa is a lost treasure for the Muslims these days.
Therefore, we would like to encourage anyone who has been looking for a place to increase his/her knowledge of the Deen and who is sincere about it to enroll in this rare opportunity. We have designed the programs in a way they can accommodate those who work or study fulltime. Thus, all of our classes are scheduled in the evenings and weekends but students who would like to consecrate all of their time to the studies can also be accommodated during the other times.
Finally, I would like to thank Allah first and the Sayeda Khadija Centre Congregation for giving the Canadian Centre for Deen Studies a wonderful facility in its premises. We are indeed blessed to have the Centre running in a place close to our hearts which is the house of Allah.
Jazakumu Allahu Khayran!
Dr. Hamid Slimi