All dozen of Al-Noor Academy’s 2013 seniors have passed their Islamic Fair oral presentation exam, clearing them to received diplomas from the Mansfield-based Muslim school on June 8.
It is an Al-Noor requirement that each senior research a subject of modern controversy, against a backdrop of Islamic teaching and law, to demonstrate an understanding of the religion’s teachings and tenets. Such topics included, but were not limited to, human cloning and genetic intervention, and an individual’s responsibility for actions in the face of mental illness. Students are required to demonstrate for a panel of Islamic judges how their topic is viewed trough the lens of the Holy Quran and its accompanying hadiths (recorded statements and actions of the Prophet Mohamed), as well as their interpretation through the years by many Muslim scholars.
Each student used a Powerpoint presentation, accompanying it with an oral presentation and fielding judges’ questions. The Islamic Fair took place in the school’s well-appointed masjid, or mosque, and was observed by middle and high school students, to both educate them in Quran and hadiths, and prepare them for their own defense as seniors.
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Because the upperclassmen participate in Al-Noor’s Dual Enrollment program, they take their final exams on college campuses, where they have been enrolled as regular students all year. The Islamic Fair is their final exam for their religious studies, combining Quran and Islamic Religion itself. Every Al-Noor student also studies Arabic, every year.
The 80-student, 6-12 private academy is not restricted to Muslim students.