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Manchester Islamic High School for Girls

55 High Lane · Manchester · Chorlton · M21 9FA · [email protected] · 0161 881 2127 facebook.com/mihsfg www.mihsg.org.uk

Inside this issue

Umrah Trip .................................. 4

MIHSG World Tour ...................... 10

USA Day ...................................... 14

Srebrenica Memorial .................. 17

Visiting King David School .......... 18

Morocco Trip .............................. 20

Qur’an Competition .................... 26

Literacy Focus ............................. 34

Points of interest

Pupil’s Art work

PSHEE Day

Kellogg’s Enterprise Challenge

Summer Fayre

Spoken Word

End of Term Awards

Linden Rd Primary School

PREPARING FOR RAMADHAN MIHSG is a special place to be, not least during the blessed month of Ramadhan when pupils and

staff benefit from being within an Islamic environment and the opportunity to observe the sig-

nificance of the month with increased ibadah and key reminders throughout the month.

This year, with over 20 days of Ramadhan falling within the school year, the school day was

shortened and several workshops were put into place for spiritual and self development. Read

pages 6 and 7 for further information.

MIHSG GENERAL ELECTION AS Level Year 10 General Studies pupils planned an outstanding day alongside Mrs C Pennington

holding a General Election to coincide with the May national elections. Parties represented on

the day included Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and UKIP. Have a read of page 12 to

find out how this panned out for pupils.

SPORT AND ATHLETICS AT MIHSG Pupils at MIHSG love sport! The school continuously strives to develop its sporting facilities to

ensure all pupils have the opportunity to excel and develop physically and athletically. This year,

a number of events have taken place including the annual sports day, an inaugural athletics tour-

nament with the ‘Association of Muslim Schools’ and having athletics coaches arrive in school.

Have a read of pages 8 and 9 to see the winners and read about the pupils’ experiences.

MIHSG HIGHLIGHTS

MANCHESTER ISLAMIC HIGH

SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

July 2015 Summer Term - Issue 45



MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD TEACHER

Asslamualaikum,

Alhamdulillaah, we have reached

the end of another successful year

that has been packed with a range of

activities to allow our pupils to

flourish and develop.

This term alone has seen pupils com-

plete their Duke of Edinburgh

Award, a Spoken Word competition

in collaboration with KD Grammar

School for Boys as well as an im-

portant remembrance of the lives

lost in Bosnia during the Srebrenica

massacre.

You will also insha’Allah, have the

opportunity to read about the vari-

ous achievements of individual pu-

pils, groups, classes and for the

school as a whole.

Many thanks to our staff and pupils

who have worked very hard, and

also to our parents and Trustees for

their continuous support.

In particular a very special

jazakh’Allah to Miss Kossar who has

worked tremendously well and or-

ganised some excellent activities for

the pupils in her capacity as Islamic

Co-ordinator. We have very little in

the way of resources compared to

some schools and the activities go a

long way to bridge the gap. It is on-

ly through the dedication and com-

mitment of staff members that we as

a school are able to provide a first

class education to pupils and fulfil

the expectations of parents.

We are very sorry to have to say a

farewell to Mrs Hassan and Mr

Adeyemi both from the Science de-

partment, and Mrs Namatovu from

the Admin team who have provided

cover for various staff on maternity

leave over the past academic year.

I hope insha’Allah all the Year 11

pupils have per-

formed well in their

GCSE examinations

and look forward to

the results in Au-

gust.

We also look forward to September

and the start of the new year when

we will be able to welcome the new

intake.

I pray that insha’Allah, you all have

a blessed Ramadhan and enjoyable

Eid with family and friends.

As ever, please do not hesitate to

contact the school if you have any

queries or would like to provide

feedback.

Walaikumsalam,

Mona Mohamed

Head Teacher

2

MRS PARVEEN’S GOODBYE

The RS department would like to take this opportunity to

say a huge thank you and good bye to Mrs Tahira Parveen

for her eight years of dedication, support and hard work

for the RS department and towards the overall school life.

The RS department will truly miss you.

We wish her all the best in her future endeavours and

pray that Allah (swt) accepts it from her with nothing less

than Jannatul Firdous.



PUPIL’S ART WORK

Masha’Alalh, the pupils at MIHSG are talented, dedicat-

ed and thoroughly enjoy their Art lessons - giving them

an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and de-

velop new artistic skills.

Since providing the Art GCSE, the department has con-

tinuously set the standard with a 100% A*-C pass rate,

year on year.

Here are some works of art that have been produced by

Year 11 pupils. They have worked hard to produce

amazing art work and their commitment and enthusi-

asm for the subject deserves merit. I would like to thank

the girls for their co-operation, inspiration and effort

over the past 2 years. I know some girls are hoping to

pursue their art further and I wish them good luck in

their future careers.

- Miss B Hockwart - Head of Art

The RS department would like to take this opportunity to

say a huge thank you and good bye to Mrs Tahira Parveen

for her eight years of dedication, support and hard work

for the RS department and towards the overall school life.

The RS department will truly miss you.

We wish her all the best in her future endeavours and

pray that Allah (swt) accepts it from her with nothing less

than Jannatul Firdous.

YEAR 9 ‘ART MOVEMENTS’

These pictures depict examples of projects produced by

year 9 based on art movements over the centuries. Their

work includes working with different mediums and

techniques.

This year’s art exams was based on observational draw-

ings of ‘Still Life’ this involved accurate drawing skills

with emphasis on tonal variations.

Year 7 D.T exams included designs of Aliens/puppets,

Year 8 was to design a new confectionary sweets or

crisps and year 9 pupils had to design wallpaper based

on flowers. There were some very creative and imagina-

tive pieces of work that were well thought out colourful

and original.



4

UMRAH 2015

WHY UMRAH?

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims who are healthy and able bodied and able to afford it, should make the pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime.

The Hajj is known as the ‘greater pilgrimage,’ however there are other opportunities for Muslims to visit Makkah on pilgrimage and carry out some Sunnah acts, this is part of the Umrah; ‘lesser pilgrim-age.’

Muslims visit Masjid Al-Haram to complete their tawaf and say’e [the circulation of the Ka’bah seven times and the walk between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as the wife of Prophet Ibrahim did whilst in search of water in the de-sert]

Pupils also have the opportuni-ty to visit various landmarks and stay in Madinah for sever-al nights to soak in the spiritu-al experience of visiting the mosque of the Prophet Mu-hammad (saw).

We at MIHSG hope that this spiritually enriching experi-ence gives pupils the opportu-nities to develop a bond with Allah and a greater connection with their deen. This is also an ideal opportunity to develop relationships with friends and teachers.

May Allah accept the Umrah of all those who attended and give us all an opportunity to visit His sacred house. Ameen.

“My experience of Ummrah with school was spiritually uplifting. In every oppor-tunity I had, I read the Quran. I tried to not waste even a minute, I spent it reflecting

on myself, thinking of how to improve.

Firstly I thought this trip would be a challenge, because I have never stayed away from my family for so long, however with the support of Mrs Mohamed and Mrs

Malek I wouldn’t have been able to have done it.

The landscapes of historical were spectacular to see it reminded me of the time of the Prophet (SAW).

Overall the trip met my standards and I would recommend it to anyone who is

thinking to go. ”

Mahanoor Javaid - Year 8

“My Ummrah experience was amazing spiritually. I learned sabr (patience) here and I completed my First Ummrah at

the age of 11.

My favourite part of this trip was the first time I saw the Ka’ba it was magnificent. Also Mrs Malek & Mrs Mohamed were both supportive and caring they were like our mums

on the trip.

I appreciate very part. Thank you. “

Hanaan Jeylani - Year 7

“Ummrah with the school was fantastic because I have learnt how to do Ummrah and how to be independent.

During the trip we have faced many difficulties but by the will of Allah it was easy and on that trip I met new people

and experienced new things with them. “

Zahra Moqbel - Year 7



UMRAH 2015 “I personally think that the Ummrah trip was incredible and that it was a chance for me to bond with my teachers and friends. It was not only a

fun trip but an educational and spiritual encounter.

During the 2 weeks I got to see holy places and experience new things. My favourite part at the whole journey was looking at the Ka’ba for the first time. It was an exhilarating visit, and I’m happy to have been a part

of it.

I definitely recommend it to everyone ”

Mariam Obaide - Year 9

“I am not sure where to start but what I know is that Ummrah was an experience of a lifetime, spiritually I felt cleansed and free emotionally I felt excited and happy. I enjoyed the experience as a whole, the peo-ple I went with the things I did, completing 2 Ummrah’s and experi-

encing new things.

I made new friends and experienced a new culture. I am really glad I did Ummrah at a young age and I would definitely do it again, I recom-mend it to everyone, it was much better than I expected by a lot. We

had funny moments, scary moments and emotional memories but over-all it was a great year to conclude my final years at MIHSG ”

Alaa Salime - Year 10

“I think that it was one of the best trips I have been to in my life. It was mesmerising to see the Ka’ba and it was an indescribable feeling to do my Ummrah and visit the Haram every day. In this trip I have many

memories that will stay with me forever.

I am very lucky and grateful to have gone Ummrah this year. The trip went very smoothly thank to Mrs Malek and Mrs Mohamed who were

truly amazing and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.”

Bushra Moqbel - Year 9



6

RAMADHAN AT MIHSG

RAMADHAN 2015

Ramadhan, the most blessed month in the Islamic calendar, has this year fallen within the school year. Given that staff and pupils would be at school for almost three weeks of Ramadhan, we therefore decided to make this Ramadhan extra special in school.

One of the greatest benefits of working or studying at MIHSG is the manner in which staff and pupils can continue their day to day life without compromising their deen. The school has been decorat-ed for the blessed month. A tree has been placed in the main hall where pu-pils can share their duas and good deeds with others but anonymously. Some beautiful duas have been left for one another, may Allah (swt) accept from everyone.

We all know that one of the Sunnah’s of the Prophet (saw) was to give people gifts, because gifts helps to increase the love and respect between one another. Therefore, this Ramadhan, Ramadhan packs were designed, packed and distrib-uted to every pupil and teacher in the school.

Thank you to everyone who contributed towards the packs. The packs consisted of:.

A set of dates and a bottle of water. As per the Sunnah, each pack had an odd number of dates. The tradition-al way of opening ones fast

Individual tasbish (prayerbeads)

Prayer Matt – individual prayer matt for all pupils and staff members in the school

A ‘Ramadhan guide.’ A crucial doc-ument towards having a successful Ramadhan, as this included a timeta-ble and planning sheet, various duas that can be recited during different times of the month and the 99 names of Allah. Various organisa-tions gave different Ramadan prepa-ration booklets and leaflets to pre-pare pupils for Ramadan.

Pupils in Year 9 and Year 10 were also given bookmarks to use during their Qur’an recitation.

We pray that insha’Allah this pack bene-fited everyone. May Allah accept every-one's intentions, siyam, qiyam and sujood during this blessed month.

We ask that you remember MIHSG in your duas. Huge JazakAllahkhair to Hu-man Appeal international and Islamic Relief for the donations towards the packs and other anonymous parties. May these packs be packs of Jannah for you all.

Like the previous year the ‘Ramadhan Buddy’ scheme, has enabled pupils and staff to randomly pair with someone else in the school and encourage one another towards goodness during this month

Pupils have been working together to set one another targets, compete against each other as well as help one another to learn something new on a daily basis.

The staff have kept theirs a secret and have been leaving messages all over the place anonymously for each other. May Allah accept everyone’s intentions. Ameen.

Some pupils from various year groups have been spending their iftars feeding the homeless. The whole school Iftar took place on Friday 3rd July for teach-ers and pupils. To further support pupils during Ramadhan, pupils have been re-ceiving different Ramadan reminders during salah from different teachers as well as receiving a more intense talk from members of the community. Pray that everyones deeds in this blessed month are accepted.

I want to take this opportunity to per-sonally thank everyone from teachers to students and parents for their continuous support and help through out the year, I pray that it is accepted from us all and it is a means for jannah for everyone.

- Miss J Kossar

SHARE RAMADHAN

Congratulations to Miss Warner and Miss

Hockwart for taking part in Share Rama-

dan on Friday 3rd July.

Both Miss

Warner

and Miss

Hock-

wart

attended

Tarawih

prayer and

woke up for

sahoor. Later in

the evening they attended the Iftar at

school.

“It was really good hav-ing this community spir-

it. It made you really value the importance of having things like water

and food”

Miss Warner



RAMADHAN AT MIHSG

IFAR

An Iftar was organised for pupils,

teacher’s families, and trustees on Fri-

day 3rd July 2015. The Iftar was also an

opportunity to celebrate and open the

fasts for the three non Muslim staff that

fasted that day; Miss Warner, Mrs

Smart and Miss Hockwart.

I would like to take this opportunity to

thank them for taking part and hope it

was a beneficial experience. The hall

was turned into a banqueting hall with

decorations, chandeliers and mocktails.

Abu Sondes gave a reminder on the

importance of Ramadan and how to

fully benefit from it. Year 11 prefects

were invited as special guests for their

hard work throughout the year in all

the activities. Pupils enjoyed the pro-

gramme as well as families of teachers.

The maghrib prayer was

conducted outside in

the summer heat.

Pupils especially

enjoyed the min-

iature dessert ta-

ble.

“Thank you so much for the Iftar and or-

ganising every thing all my family enjoyed it so much.

May Allah reward you

well.”

Mrs Barbash

“It was really good hav-ing this community spir-

it. It made you really value the importance of having things like water

and food”

Miss Warner

Pupils worked alongside a local

organisation the 'Myriad Foun-

dation' to prepare Eid gifts for

children and adults currently in

hospital.

It was a great opportunity for

pupils and teachers to remem-

ber and help those who would

be spending Eid in hospital.

I would like to say a special

thank you

to Mrs Sha-

heen and Year

7 Zam Zam for

bringing the most

gifts and for their tremendous

efforts for the children in hos-

pital.

May Allah(swt) reward them

immensely.

EID GIFTS

“Wow! Just seen all of the presents collected by Manchester Islamic High School for Girls for our 'Let

Them Know It's Eid Time' initiative.

Amazing to see young Muslim girls making such a contribution to a pro-ject, which we hope will make many

Children happy!”

Ali at Myriad Foundation

IFTAR WITH THE HOMELESS

"(The righteous are those) who feed the

poor, the orphan and the captive for the love

of God, saying: 'We feed you for the sake of

God Alone; we seek from you neither re-

ward nor thanks.'" - The Holy Quran, 76:8-9

Ramadan with the homeless has been an

initiative that has been running since 2007

by the Muslim community of Manchester,

whereby Iftar is shared by Muslims with the

homeless every Thursday.

This event is organised to feed the homeless

people with in the city centre. It is a unique

experience where many Muslims in Rama-

dan get together and share their iftar; it rep-

resents the true essence of Ramadan with a

great atmosphere.

We encourage pupils as Muslims citizens to

take social responsibility of those on our

doorstep. This Iftar with the homeless is

held every Thursday in Piccadilly Gardens.

Pupils from different year groups have been

attending the Iftars and helping make food

packs for the homeless and distributing food

at Iftar time.

“Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a

reward like that of the fasting person, with-

out any reduction in his reward.” (Tirmidhi)

“I really enjoyed it and want to come

again, it was a really good experience”

Nur Jannah Sadiq -

Year 10



8

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES WEEK

Healthy Lifestyles week ran from Monday 2nd to Friday 6th June

2015.

There were a range of daily activities for pupils and staff during

tutorials, break, lunchtimes and after school. These included:

worksheets on healthy lifestyles; competitions; netball matches;

walk a mile at break; a healthy tuck shop; a ‘no junk food’ day and

healthy picnic; an athletics trip to Sportcity; and the MIHSG ath-

letics team competed in the AMS Games.

“It was a good chance for us to make changes and improve our life-

styles to healthier options.

The one-mile walks at break times helped us realise how easy it is

to do daily exercise and the deprivation of junk food was hard at

first. However, by the end of the week, the changes we noticed in

our bodies made us realise that eating healthily is more beneficial

and just as delicious.”

Khadeeja Nauman - Year 9

The pupils ‘health and safety’ committee

wanted to raise the awareness of healthy

lifestyles in the school.

During the Healthy lifestyle awareness

week they held two events. One was the

‘walk a mile a day’ where pupils were

asked to walk a mile at break, a mile being

seven times around the playground. They

managed to persuade some pupils to walk

every day, except Tuesday when there

was heavy rain, some days having many

more pupils then others.

The second a perhaps more popular activi-

ty was NO JUNK THURSDAY, pupils

agreed not to bring any crisps, cake, choc-

olate or sweets to school on that day. The

lunch time provider kindly supported the

day by serving healthy chicken wraps and

fruit. Most pupils brought fruit for

snacks. Aleeza had some delicious cher-

ries and Maseelah brought a variety of

fruit including blueberries and cherries

which they ate as they walked the mile

during break.

The highlight of the day was the healthy

eating picnic which the pupils ‘health and

safety’ committee provided. Other pupils

were invited to join in. Laiba’s fruit ke-

babs were very popular as was the carrot

sticks and hummus. Mrs Pennington was

most surprised that pupils enjoyed the

smoked trout she brought.

ATHLETICS & AMS GAMES

During the summer term, all pupils in Year 7

and 8 were treated to specialist input from

two female athletics caches, Doretta and La-

rissa, from Manchester Sports Development

during their PE lessons. This led to the selec-

tion of twenty girls who were lucky enough

to participate in a fun athletics coaching ses-

sion at the prestigious indoor athletics arena

at Sportcity.

A squad of ten pupils was chosen to represent

MIHSG at the inaugural Association of Mus-

lim Schools Interfaith Games on Tuesday 3rd

June 2015 at Sportcity. Girls from four

schools competed in athletic events. It was a

very exciting atmosphere and girls achieved

some very good times and distances. Addi-

tionally, they were able to socialise with pu-

pils from different faiths and make new

friends in a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Some girls from MIHSG won their individual

events and the overall team managed to

achieve second place.

The event was supported by athletics coach-

es, kindly organised by Sports Development

Officer Karen Williams, who has recently

been working closely with the PE Depart-

ment at MIHSG to raise the profile and

achievement of athletics.

Everybody who took part thoroughly en-

joyed the day’s events and we are looking

forward to next year’s event. We hope that

this will be the start of an annual event

where pupils from different faiths can come

together and compete in a wonderful cele-

bration of girls in sport.

“I loved doing different athletic activities

using professional equipment. I tried activi-

ties that I have never done before including

long jump, high jump and hurdles. The trip

was very well organised.” - Abrar Azzabi

“There were a range of activities

including hurdles, running, high

jump, long jump and shot put. It

was a real challenge but fun at

the same time and the time

passed really quickly. My fa-

vourite activity was the sprint-

ing, as I am better at running

than jumping and throwing.”

Kashaf Humayun - Year 8



MIHSG SPORTS DAY 2015

This year’s annual Sports Day took place at Longford Park on

Tuesday 9th June 2015. It was a whole school event for all

staff and students.

All pupils in years seven, eight and nine competed in a range

of athletic activities against other pupils within their year

group in order to earn valuable points for their tutor groups

and a chance to win a medal or certificate.

The day begin with each year group warming up with a fun

warm up led by the Sale Harrier’s girls team manager, Doret-

ta, who helped run the rest of the day’s exciting events.

All winners of individual events were presented with a med-

al, with certificates for pupils gaining second and third posi-

tions.

The overall results were:

Year 9 winners – 9 Sakinah

Year 8 winners – 8 Ummah

Year 7 winners – 7 Rayaan

Year 10 students who attended the event played an invaluable

role in the smooth running of the event and were able to de-

velop and improve their leadership and officiating skills.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable and successful whole

school sporting event for MIHSG.

9

“This was my first Sports Day at MIHSG, I was

very excited. After a short walk to Longford

Park, I saw the arena – the arena where we were

going to compete against the other year 7’s in

athletic activities including running, jumping and

throwing.

I competed in the 60-metre sprint. At the end of

the day, when the awards were given out, my

form (7R) were crowned the year 7 Sports Day

Champions. The award now stands proudly on

Mrs Barbash’s desk and we stand proudly with

it.”

Nazeeha Shahzada - Year 7

ANNUAL WALK

The Annual Walk to Chorlton Wa-

ter Park took place on Friday 12th

June 2015. This was the traditional

whole school event for all staff and

pupils and proved to be a thor-

oughly enjoyable day out for all

involved.

“Walking to Chorlton Water Park

in the sweltering hot weather was

definitely an unforgettable experi-

ence. By the time we arrived, the

most anybody could do was col-

lapse onto the grass from exhaus-

tion!

However, we soon recovered

enough to explore the park with

our friends and spent the rest of

our time eating ice cream, playing

games and lying in the sun. It was

an excellent opportunity to relax

away from school and everybody

cannot wait for next year.”

Sumayyah Loonat - Year 9



MIHSG WORLD TOUR - 2015

WHAT WAS IT ALL ABOUT?

On Tuesday 16th June 2015, part of the school turned into an airport, with the re-mainder representing spe-cific countries and conti-nent.

Pupils were split into differ-ent airlines with their teach-ers as pilots taking them around on a world tour visit-ing different countries.

The day started of with a whole school assembly with Mrs S Malek talking about what diversity means in Is-lam, focusing on how Allah created us in different na-tions and tribes and the em-phasis the Prophet Muham-mad (saw) made on the im-portance of brotherhood re-gardless of the background in his final sermon.

After this the different na-tions representative took to the stage and sang their na-tional anthems. Pupils were very proud of sharing their heritage with class fellows and teachers.

A huge thank you to all the teachers and pupils who went above and beyond to represent their countries in school, with all the artefacts, clothes and presentations, they were all amazing and loved by all.

May Allah (swt) reward eve-ry single one of you.

AFRICA

Travellers tried the fragrant mint tea and ate

kanafa as well as watching the presentation

about the turbulent history of the nomad

Kurds.

Tourists were given a crash course in Dabka,

a Palestinian celebratory dance as well as

sampling delicious staples of this nation such

as fool and Basbosa Rich coffee and dates

were served as the tour enjoyed the different

relics of this nation.

PALESTINE & EGYPT

Passengers were temped with pancakes

whilst learning about the history of the

north and south of Somali and Somali

land. Pupils wondered in awe at the beau-

tifully carved utensils.

SOMALIA & SOMALILAND

Our globe trotters played on the Caren board

and learned how to put on a sari at this stop.

This stop definitely got pupils salivating with

their mishti and nimko and singhara, han-

desh, muri, chum chum, and piyaju.

BANGLADESH

“I enjoyed seeing many

different countries.

Some interesting facts.

I realised how similar

we all are.”

Alina Naveed - Yr 7

KURDISTAN & AFGHANISTAN

Visitors to Africa learnt key words in Swahili,

tried out the cooking appliances and turned

some of their attention to the colour rich

couture of this rainbow nation.



MIHSG WORLD TOUR - 2015

“O Mankind, indeed We have cre-

ated you from male and female and

made you peoples and tribes that

you may know one another. In-

deed, the most noble of you in the

sight of Allah is the most righteous

of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing

and Acquainted.”

(Surah Hujarat 49:13)

Pupils learned about this country’s history

and enjoyed watching the Hira and Ranja

performance whilst feasting on samosas and

pakoras.

PAKISTAN

Mrs Vadiya gave these jet setters a brief

history on the historical sites and diverse

communities which co-exist in this

beautiful country followed by a quick

history lesson on one the world’s biggest

industry: Bollywood.

INDIA

Pupils enjoyed afternoon tea whilst listening

to a detailed history of the origins and cus-

toms of the good old English cuppa, which

was sourced from all over the world

BRITAIN

This stop was one of the most exciting. Pupils

learnt about the history of Libiya whilst en-

joying the fruit, pasties and kunafa on offer.

Travellers learnt about dress and customs of

this strong nation.”

LIBYA

“It was really fun, interest-

ing and fascinating to find

out all about the different

cultures in our school and

learn about my friends.”

Saaliha Hussain - Yr 8



ON THURSDAY 7TH MAY, Manchester Islamic High

School for Girls held their very own general election to

elect the political party that would govern the MIHSG

constituency. The exciting day began with Mrs Pen-

nington, head of the humanities department, welcoming

the students to the day and informing them that voting

would take place at 1.20pm during the lunch hour.

This was followed by an informative presentation from

Miss Kossar addressing the issue of voting in Islam. Miss

Kossar told the girls that ‘there are a few Muslim schol-

ars that say voting is haraam (forbidden) but most schol-

ars actually promote and encourage it.’

Miss Kossar then introduced an external speaker to the

students, Labour councillor Noordad Aziz, who inspired

the girls to be politically involved ‘because politics af-

fects everyone.’

To round off the eventful morning, the running parties

gave their speeches, each giving very convincing rea-

sons as to why they should be elected. First up was the

Labour party lead by Miss Haneen Boatiwirat. They

promised ‘to help balance the books.’ Next, the UKIP

party was warmly welcomed by the pupils. Lead by Miss

Misbah Hamid, UKIP said that they ‘are changing the

face of British politics.’ The Green Party, lead by Miss

Feroza Ahmadzi, said that they ‘believe that everyone

should be able to afford fresh, healthy food on their ta-

ble.’ The Conservatives, lead by Miss Alaa Salime, fol-

lowed the Green Party. Miss Salime told the pupils that

the Tories ‘want to eradicate the deficit by 2017.’ Final-

ly, the Liberal Democrats stood to give their speech.

Miss Maseelah Mohtsim-Shahzada, leader of the party,

told the pupils that their ‘manifesto is so passionate’ be-

cause ‘they care.’

After a well deserved break, the pupils went to their as-

signed classrooms where they learned about the differ-

ent voting systems such as First Past The Post (FPTP),

Alternative Vote (AV) and Proportional Representation

(PR). The students were shown three videos explaining

the different methods of voting and were asked to iden-

tify the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

The pupils were dismissed for lunch after being remind-

ed that voting would be taking place at 1.20pm.

Throughout lunch, the girls kept a keen eye on the

clock, eagerly awaiting the moment that they would be

able to select the political party of their choice. And

then, finally, the voice of Miss Nosheen Akhtar came

over the PA, announcing that the polling stations were

now open. Students flocked to the mock polling stations

situated in the classrooms to mark an X beside the party

they wanted to govern MIHSG.

After the voting, students returned to the classrooms

where they learnt about the Suffragettes and wrote po-

ems, speeches and spoken word to share with the rest of

the school in a later assembly.

As the students gathered in the hall to end the day, the

votes that they had placed earlier on were being totalled

by the diligent tellers. The girls heard pieces of poetry,

spoken word and some speeches from fellow pupils. Bal-

sam Azzabi and Huda Shaban, Y8, said in regards to the

Suffrage, ‘anything guys can do, we can do better.’

MIHSG GENERAL ELECTION



Then finally, after what seemed like years of waiting to

the girls, came the moment they had all been anticipat-

ing. The votes had been counted and Mrs Pennington

was going to announce the winner of MIHSG’s general

election. They held their breath as Mrs Pennington un-

folded the paper that held MIHSG’s general election re-

sults. And at 3.27pm, 7th of May 2015, Labour was de-

clared the winner of the 2015 MIHSG general election

with a total of 103 votes. A total of 194 pupils voted.

The Liberal Democrats followed Labour with 39 votes.

Surprisingly, UKIP pulled in 21 votes and were followed

by the Green Party with a total of 14 votes. Pulling in

the least number of votes were the Conservatives, with

a measly 13 votes.

Abrar Azzabi, Y7, said that the day was, ‘an educational

experience. There were lots of opportunities to learn

more about politics.’

As the students found out on Friday, their results were

the complete opposite of the actual election with the

Conservatives winning with a total of 331 seats. Better

luck next time, MIHSG!

MIHSG VISITS FROM MP

In the run up to the General Election

and MIHSG’s own mock election, the

School arranged for visits from MP’s and

councillors to speak to pupils. John

Leech MP came into school speaking

first to all pupils where he talked about

his political philosophy as a liberal.

Rather prophetically, Almaas asked him

if he thought that the Tory Liberal coali-

tion had affected his chance of re-

election. Mr Leech said no but unfortu-

nately for him the electorate thought

differently and he lost his seat.

Mr Leech then spent some time with the

Year 10 General Studies group giving

them advice on how to run their own

Mock General Election

On the 6th May, just the day before the

General Election, Sir Gerald Kaufman

came into school and spoke to all pupils.

He told them about his experiences as a

the child of a migrant family and em-

phasised the importance of education.

He was accompanied by two labour

councillors Yasmine Dar and Rab-

nawaz Akhtar previously a parent of

the school. Sir Gerald retained his

seat in the Election and is now the

longest serving MP holding the title

of ‘Father of the House’.

“I believe, in a free democratic society, people should be allowed

to do what they want to do so long as it doesn't impact on another

person.

Whereas some other parties tell people what to do. As a Liberal, I

believe people should have a choice.”

John Leech - Liberal Democrats



USA DAY

WHAT WAS IT ALL ABOUT?

Cross Curricular Day is an annual MIHSG tradition.

For one day each year, the school is transformed into a country that Year 9 pupils plan and prepare for.

MIHSG strongly believes that pupils should have an understanding of all cultures and traditions across the world. Such days are an ide-al opportunity to learn about the food, history, culture and way of life of other countries.

In previous years, MIHSG has transformed into Tur-key, Japan, Pakistan, China, Somalia and much more. This year, Year 9 pupils chose the United States of America.

Pupils spend part of their curriculum planning for the day as they research past presidents, food, clothing, dance and music, security and much more.

Well done to all the Year 9’s for their incredibly hard work and Mrs C Pennington for leading on this successful activity

This year’s Cross – Curricular Day took

MIHSG to the USA.

Year 9 chose the country because of the

vast differences in climate, from the cold

wastes of Alaska to the topical climes of

Florida and the different cultures, urban

New York City and the vast open plains

of Arizona.

Activities were offered to allow fellow

pupils to experience some of this diversi-

ty.

There was the murder mystery of who

killed JFK (John F Kennedy the 35th

President of the USA) in Dallas, Space

exploration, Taco eating contests, line

dancing and of course hotdogs and donuts

were on offer.

Pupils had a great day, cumulating in a

fashion show with a difference, Year 9

dressed up to represent all the 50 states of

America and ‘America’s Got Talent’ with

both pupils and staff taking part.

There is a charitable aspect to this and

£125.42 was raised and sent to Islamic

Relief for a project helping children af-

fected by the recent earthquake in Nepal

“It was interesting and

informative. I learned a

lot and it widened my

knowledge about Ameri-

can culture.”

Zesha Saleem - Yr 8



USA DAY

“it was the best experience of

my school year. The high-

light of my school year, I

really enjoyed it and felt like

I was actually in America.”

Hauwa Alkali - Year 7

“The FBI uniforms were

amazing! The looked re-

ally cool and kept in char-

acter.”

Tayyibah Sarwar - Year

10



THE MAGNA CARTA

Magna Carta, which means 'The Great Charter', is one of

the most important documents in history as it estab-

lished the principle that everyone is subject to the law,

even the king. The charter and guarantees all individu-

als the right to justice and the right to a fair trial.

As it was the 800 year anniversary of this charter, a local

lawyer from AMT Laywers; Ms Bushra Ramzan came to

deliver an assembly about the charter.

The assembly started with Mashelle Sajjad (Year 9) recit-

ing an ayah from The Qur’an about justice [which is dis-

played in the entrance of the Harvard law building]. It

was important to start the assembly with this ayah, em-

phasising the importance of justice in Islam, and doing

good to those around you and the poor. Although there

is a charter, the Quran has been a charter for Muslims

over 1400 years relaying the importance of justice in Is-

lam. However, the Magna Carta is important charter and

needs to be recognised and celebrated.

Ms Bushra Ramzan from AMT Lawyers explained the

importance of the Magna Carta and its main principles,

with emphasis on human rights and equality for all; she

explains how the Magna Carta had changed the balance

of power for the people.

Thank you to Ms

Bushra Ramzan

for taking the

time out of

work to deliver

this assembly

and for Br Nasir

Hafezi for arrang-

ing it.

“O you who have believed, be persis-tently standing firm in justice, wit-

nesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.

Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not

[personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimo-ny] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Ac-

quainted”

Surah Al Nisa - Verse 135

AMBASSADOR EBRAHIM

The school was presented with a unique

opportunity for pupils to participate in

a politics master class and an Iftar with

H.E Ebrahim Rasool, the Ambassador of

South Africa to the USA.

The Ambassador spent a year in prison

alongside the late Nelson Mandela. He

delivered a talk on authentic leadership

lessons learnt from the life of Nelson

Mandela as well as highlighting the

Muslim contributions in South Africa.

During the masterclass he emphasised

on the importance of having the pres-

ence of our limbs and heart in terms of

politics. He encouraged us to follow

our hearts and have principles and val-

ues as well as using our hands to com-

plete actions ourselves and ears to listen

and remain quiet.

He mentioned that Nelson Mandela

said that a person should define what he

should live for in order to know what

to die for. No matter what you want to

live for to know what you should die

for. After the private master class pu-

pils proceeded to the main Iftar where

they heard about the work of MADE in

Europe and the importance of Muslims

being stewards of the earth.

“Ebrahim Rasools speech about how to

be a leader and the different steps you

need to take to become one was very

inspiring, also learning about what

MADE does in Europe was interesting

and it was nice that the Iftar was vege-

tarian because it went with the ethos of

MADE” – Noor Mehmood - Year 10



REMEMBERING SREBRENICA

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the massacre which took place in Srebren-ica in 1995.

As a school we took part in several activities to com-memorate the atrocities and honour the 8,372 victims, as well as the survivors of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica – a town in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina.

It was the worst such atroci-ty on European soil since the Second World War.

Whilst Srebrenica was the centre piece of Serbian eth-nic cleansing, this systematic policy was followed in vast areas of Bosnia to try and eradicate Muslims from the map of what is now called Bosnia.

Monday 6th July

Year 9 pupils with Miss Warner and

the Senior Leadership Team were

invited to attend an international

memorial at Westminster Abbey o

organised by the charity Remember-

ing Srebrenica .

Pupils were given magazine and

information about Bosnia and lis-

tened to the service and survivors of

the massacre, in particular women

who had lost their husbands, sons

and fathers.

“It astounds me that though all these girls were not born at the time of the genocide, they felt

deeply moved, and deeply connect-ed and saddened.

They also posed pressing questions as to why there is so much blood-

shed in the world today. They pro-duced exceptional pieces of work”

Aisha Mirza

Remembering Srebrenica

Tuesday 7th July

Year 9 pupils participated in a workshop delivered by dele-

gates who had been to Bosnia. A creative workshop was held

at school following the visit to Westminster Abbey the day

before.

As part of an exhibition that was featured at the memorial

event at the British Muslim Heritage Centre, the girls pro-

duced poetry and images depicting what they feel about what

happened, and how they would like to see change.

Wednesday 8th July

Some pupils and teachers attended a

memorial dinner for Bosnia at the

British Muslim Heritage Centre.

The dinner hosted an exhibition

completed by Year 9 pupils and po-

etry and presentations by local dele-

gates and politicians

Thursday 9th July

Pupils prepared white roses with the

Remembering Srebrenica logo and

the message: “20 years, never again”

which were to be distributed in the

city centre on ‘Memorial Day,’ 11th

July.

Thank you to the Year 9 pupils and the staff who participated and contributed in each of these activities.

May it have been educational and informative for you all. We pray that we do not have to see another massacre like this again.

“Thank you for joining us at Westminster Abbey. On behalf

of the team at Remembering Srebrenica, thank you so much

for your school’s attendance at the Abbey on the 6th July.

It warmed our hearts to see the girls and young women

from Manchester Islamic High School for Girls in the con-

gregation.

As an organisation that is dedicated to learning the lessons

of the Srebrenica Genocide, we were so very pleased to

have your pupils at Westminster Abbey; they will surely

become the future ambassadors for tolerance and under-

standing.

The commitment you and your colleagues have shown in

organising your students and travelling to London for the

service is deeply appreciated. I noticed that your girls were

especially well-mannered and very warm, evidently excel-

lent representatives of the school. We hope that you and

everyone involved from Manchester Islamic High School

for Girls continue to remain engaged with what we do and

try to achieve.”

Amelia Handy - Remembering Srebrenica



OPEN EVENINGS

MIHSG will be holding two Open

Evenings this year for prospective

parents to visit the school and speak

to staff and pupils.

This is an ideal opportunity for par-

ents and pupils to visit the facilities

and ask any questions they may have.

The evenings will insha’Allah be held

on:

Thursday 8th October

Thursday 12th November

Please do visit us and inform your

family and friends.


55 High Lane

Chorlton

Manchester

M21 9FA

0161 881 2127

[email protected]

Manchester Islamic Education Trust

Hartley Hall

Alexandra Road South

Manchester

M16 8NH

Manchester Muslim Preparatory School

551 Wilmslow Road

Withington

Manchester

M20 4BA

0161 445 5452

www.muslimprepschool.org.uk

KD Grammar School for Boys

Hartley Hall

Alexandra Road South

Manchester

M16 8NH

0161 860 7676

www.kdgrammar.co.uk

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Half Term Break October 26th - October 30th

Yr 10 Parents Evening November 4th

Open Evening November 12th

Presentation Evening November 27th

Yr 11 Mock Exams December

End of term Yr 7 - 10 Exams December

End of Term Friday December 18th

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