PROMOTING ISLAMIC EDUCATION. Muslim inmates hold Madrasah textbooks inside the Zamboanga City Jail Male Dormitory during graduation rites on Friday (Jan. 26, 2024). A total of 74 Muslim persons deprived of liberty completed the Islamic education program. (Photo courtesy of BJMP)
MANILA – A total of 74 Muslim persons deprived of liberty (PDL) completed the Madrasah (Islamic education) program at Zamboanga City Jail Male Dormitory (ZCJMD).
The oldest of the 74 graduates of Tahderiyyah (Islamic kindergarten), which covers the Al-abjadiyah (Arabic alphabet), is a 61-year-old male while the youngest student is 20 years old, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said in a news release.
During Friday's graduation rites, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos-9 (NCMF-Zamboanga Peninsula) Cultural Division chief Dalhata Musa thanked the BJMP for its efforts to promote Islamic education inside its facilities.
“To the management of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, may Allah bless you for this Madrasah and may this be the first of many. You are giving our Muslim brothers an enormous opportunity to fulfill one of the goals of their religion. Little by little, class by class, knowledge after knowledge, you are changing their lives,” she added.
ZCJMD chief Jail Supt. Xavier Solda, meanwhile, said the program which started in July last year, is part of the continuing jail management reforms at the facility
He added that the move is anchored on the government's duty to protect the right to education of every Filipino while promoting the free exercise of religion.
“We envision that through the education programs here in Madrasah, we can create a community of compassionate and knowledgeable peacemakers among the PDL under our care,” he added.
After the graduation ceremony, the NCMF donated sets of the Quran, sejarah (prayer mats) and textbooks. (PNA)
