By Anisa Rajbhai

The Muballigheen Training Programme (MTP) is the single most important project in the history of the Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Community. This four year postgraduate course, specifically designed to meet our needs, aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to come back into our communities as Islamic leaders.

As the first term comes close to an end, the progress of this exciting project has Alhamdullilah, gone extremely well. The two couples, from America and the UK, have settled in quickly, and are enjoyin  g their new lives in Damascus.

Although, having faced a complete culture change from living in the west, all of the students feel extremely privileged at the opportunity of staying within such close proximity of the shrine of Seyyida Zaynab (A.S.). Over the past two months, they have already had the chance to visit many leading scholars, including Sheikh Halimi and Syed Mohsin Hashemi, both of whom are the representatives of Ayatullah Sista  ni in Damascus and Qum respectively. Their vocabulary in Arabic grows day by day, and the vast array of subjects, including Fiqh, Akhlaq and Aqaeed, are all providing them with the foundations that they need in order to become prominent leaders within our communities.

The feedback from these students is truly inspiring and recruitment for September 2008 has now begun. We are inshAllah hoping to look for two more married couples under the age of 30 to embark on this life changing experience.

For more information about this course and the application procedure or to apply, please visit www.wfiips.org.