KES Hosts Groundbreaking ‘Qur’an in the City’ Study Day for Year 9 Pupils

On May 2nd, 2024, King Edward’s School (KES) hosted a Study Day for Year 9 pupils from across the King Edward VI Foundation. This event was part of the Qur'an in the City project, conducted in collaboration with Culture Forward, University academics, The MIAH Foundation, Ikon Gallery, and Soul City Arts.

The day began with an inspiring talk from Jodh Dhesi, Chief Executive Officer at the King Edward VI Foundation followed by engaging and informative talks from Jo Bullock, Director of External Relations at the King Edward VI Foundation, and Muhammed Alli, Artistic Director of Soul City.

Nearly a hundred students from six different schools within the King Edward VI Foundation—a diverse mix of comprehensive, grammar, and private schools—participated in a variety of educational activities. These included:

• Religious Studies/Philosophy: Dr. Ali-Reza Bhojani, Teaching Fellow in Islamic Ethics and Theology Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Ahmed Janahi, doctoral researcher, led a Qur’anic reading and discussion session, engaging students in deep conversations about the nature of the divine.
• History: Dr. Neelam Hussain, Director of The MIAH Foundation and Curator of the Mingana Collection, conducted a session on reading early Qur’an manuscripts, prepared with the help of eight Year 12 students from KES and KEHS. This segment provided a historical analysis and context of the manuscripts.
• Arts: Students had the opportunity to participate in various printing workshops, including lino printing with Haseebah Ali, mono printing led by Fae Kilburn, and foam printing with Danielle Krikorian and Hasna Khan, Multidisciplinary Artist/ Information Assistant at Ikon Gallery.

Artist Haseebah Ali expressed her enthusiasm, stating, ‘KES day was such a privilege to be a part of; you could really see the students getting excited around the idea of collaboration through art, and it was a great way to build community.’

Dr. Ali-Reza Bhojani highlighted the significance of the event: ‘The KES ‘Quran in the City’ study was a landmark event, a first of its kind in the UK. Inspired by the Mingana Collection and the Birmingham Quran, the day brought together theologians, historians, and artists for a day’s activities around the Quran for year 9 students from across Birmingham. Ahmed Janahi and I facilitated seven sessions of discussions prompted by the reading of two verses of the Quran (18:109 and 31:27). Conversations amongst the brilliant students ranged from considering the nature of the divine to the inexhaustibility of human potential. We were thoroughly inspired!’

The event also featured four KES student leaders who shared their experiences of preparing and leading a session. They spent five Friday afternoons at the Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham with Dr. Neelam Hussain, delving into the Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript, a significant artifact carbon-dated to over 1300 years ago.

The student leaders reflected on their involvement: "After we completed our comprehensive study of the manuscript, we, in collaboration with KEHS, prepared a Study Day which we delivered to Year 9 students from eight schools across the King Edward VI Foundation. We gave presentations on the historical analysis of the manuscript, followed by a calligraphy session in which students learnt how to write their names in traditional Arabic calligraphy. Overall, the event was a great success, and it was encouraging to see such great levels of engagement and enthusiasm from students of all cultures and faiths!"

The Qur'an in the City Study Day exemplified the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the value of bringing together diverse perspectives to foster a deeper understanding of cultural and historical heritage among school students. The Culture Forward team would like to thank the many people involved in the creation and delivery of such a successful event.