ANKARA, 7 April 2012: An 8-member delegation of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is currently on a visit to Turkey (2-8 April). Led by its Chairman Senator Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, the delegation includes CII members Dr. Mohammad Idrees Soomro, Muhammad Sadeeq Hazarvi , Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussain Al-Naqvi Al-Najafi, Prof. Dr. Sabiha Qadri, Qari Muhammad Hanif Jallandhary, and CII Secretary/Director General Mr. Muhammad Ilyas Khan.
The delegation visited Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs and met with its President Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gormez. The host offered to open a model Imam Hatip High School in Pakistan. Welcoming the offer, Maulana Sheerani thanked Dr. Gormez for the generous offer and said Pakistan will study the proposal and shall discuss further modalities to give concrete shape to the pilot project. “We take pride in Turkey’s economic development and welcome Turkish assistance for further improving our religious education,” said Maulana Sheerani.
The Turkish model of Imam Hatip school is fusion of Islamic and modern education as it contains as much arts and science classes as normal high schools do. To observe the teaching model, the delegation visited Tevfiq Ileri Imam Hatip High School in Ankara and Darushafaka International Imam Hatip High School in Istanbul and took briefing from the school management.
To know the Turkish religious education in detail, the delegation also visited General Directorate of Religious Education, Ilahiyat Faculties of University of Ankara and University of Marmara in Istanbul and called on the Muftis of Ankara and Istanbul.
Later on, the delegation visited Supreme Council of Religious Affairs and were briefed about the system put in place in the Council regarding satisfying citizens` queries related to Islam and its application in daily life.
During their visit to Foundation of Diyanet, Director General Mr. Suleyman Necati Akcesme informed about the services of Diyanet Directorate.