Islamic Institute of Toronto -

SPONSORSHIP

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR THE IJAAZAH PROGRAM

Structured post-secondary Islamic Education in Canada has been unheard of until 1996 when the Islamic Institute of Toronto embarked on a mission to establish a post-secondary institution that will cater to the educational needs of Muslims in the GTA.

Ten years later, with a solid base and a state-of-the art campus located in north-east Toronto, the IIT is ready to enhance its offering of Islamic Education with the introduction of the Ijaazah in Arabic and Islamic Studies Program. The program, equivalent to a Bachelors degree, will be initially offered on a continuing education model on evenings and weekends. A full-time module will be implemented at a later date when the IIT is granted full occupancy of its campus. By pursuing this graduated approach, we hope that the IIT will evolve into a full-fledged Islamic University, one of few in the Western world, and the first in Canada.

The program of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Institute is aimed at enabling students to gain an in-depth understanding of the Islamic faith to lead a virtuous life, experience Islam within themselves, and share the divine mercy with fellow humans. The program can best be characterized as simultaneously traditional and modern: Traditional in the sense that it assumes a close understanding of the revelation as understood, applied and transmitted to us from our pious forbears; modern in the sense that it does not treat the tradition as if it were a stagnant writ, but rather as a lively tradition which provides us tools to deal with the present realities that we live and move within.

The four-year program will consist of the following major areas, with a strong focus on using Arabic texts after the initial two years:

It is a pleasure to present you the opportunity to sponsor this program or one of its various components as described below. We hope that you will respond positively in the tradition of Islamic endowments for educational purposes, and pray that the Almighty perpetuate the reward for your act of generosity.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROGRAM

The people behind the Ijaazah program at the IIT are well-known for their commitment to Islamic education, their professionalism and their position as well-respected individuals with the Muslim community and beyond.

Shaikh Ahmad Kutty is an Islamic scholar and senior lecturer at the IIT. After graduating from the Islamic University of Madina al Munawwarah, he pursued post graduate studies at the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal. He has served as Imam for Jami Mosque and the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. He is currently a Mufti at the internationally-renowned website IslamOnline.net, and provides fatwas for Islam.ca. His fatwas have been acclaimed by both western and Islamic scholars, and the prestigious International Islamic University of Malaysia has co-opted several hundred of his fatawas for their online fatwa bank.

Shaikh Abdool Hamid is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madina Munawwarah, specializing in Hadith Studies. He is currently a lecturer at the IIT, and a counselor with the Islamic Social Services and Resource Association in Toronto. He is a regular khateeb and speaker at several mosques in and around Toronto.

Br. Fareed Amin is the president of the Islamic Institute of Toronto. Br. Fareed is currently the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism with the Government of Ontario, Canada. He has served as Deputy Minister for several other provincial ministries, including Finance, Citizenship and Immigration and Transportation.

In addition to Shaikh Ahmad Kutty and Shaikh Abdool Hamid, the faculty for the Ijaazah Program will comprise of eminent Islamic scholars such as Dr. Iqbal Masood Nadvi, Imam Hamid Slimi, Shaikh Sibgatullah Rasool and Shaikh Saeed Gharsudeen.

SPONSORSHIP OF FACULTY

The teaching staff of IIT will be remunerated for their qualification and expertise as Islamic scholars. It is unfortunate that whereas these scholars have committed so much time for the Muslim community, their efforts have been undervalued. The IIT proposes to respect the value of our scholars contributions and to provide them with adequate compensation for their time and expertise.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND/STUDENT SPONSORSHIP

Many students who may want to enroll in the Ijaazah program may be impeded by the cost of the program. Muslims throughout the centuries have established an excellent model of financial support for students of Islamic Knowledge by supporting them financially, in most cases anonymously.

Student sponsorship: based on an average of 25 credit hours per year @ $100.00 per credit hour : $2500.00 per year

SPONSORSHIP OF PROGRAM COMPONENT

The Ijaazah program comprises several components as described in the executive summary above. Each component requires professional resources, teaching and administrative staff and other overhead resources.

Sponsorship of a component for one year is approximated at:

RECOGNITION

In recognition of your generosity, and with your approval, the IIT will be willing to provide coverage of your business on its website www.islam.ca and in its promotional material from time to time. For major sponsors, the IIT will be willing to consider any request for recognition such as classroom naming, program naming or any other reasonable requests in accordance with the Islamic ethics. Please contact us for further discussions.