Cambridge launches Al-Azhar partnership to train young Muslim faith leaders

An intensive professional training course has been launched for some of the young British Muslims most likely to become the faith's next generation of spiritual leaders. The 15-week programme, which has just completed its pilot run, is a joint initiative by the University of Cambridge and Al-Azhar University in Cairo. It is uniquely designed for young, British Muslims studying in Darul Ulooms - the Islamic equivalent of seminaries, where many future Imams and Muslim chaplains are trained. Its principal aim is to build on the knowledge students receive at these institutions with a challenging programme of lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops and personal study assignments, designed to further broaden the participants' appreciation of Islam in a modern context. Alongside other topics, the course covers issues such as multiculturalism, gender equality, human rights and Muslim-British identity. It also involves visits to Muslim organisations, a Christian postgraduate theological training centre and a Jewish Rabbinical College. The project has been designed and run by a partnership of scholars from both Al-Azhar University and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, at the University of Cambridge.