While students from over 60 colleges will be competing in the festival, over 10,00 graduates will be awarded their degrees during the graduation ceremony.
Kalamassery, Kerala: Wafy, Wafiyya state arts festival, and grand convocation ceremony has commenced today, January 15, at Zamra International Convention Centre, Kalamassery, Kochi. Themed as ‘Islam: Simple and Beautiful,’ the two-day event—January 15 and 16—kickstarted with Wafiyya fest and a graduation ceremony. Students from over 60 colleges affiliated with the Coordination of Islamic Colleges (CIC) across Kerala will showcase their creative and artistic skills in the two-day state-level fest, while around 1,060 graduates will be awarded their degrees.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal opened the inaugural ceremony. Underscoring that the CIC has been running since the early 2000s, aiming to bridge the gap between religious and secular studies, Thangal, who also serves as the current president of the CIC, highlighted the courses’ contribution to the healthy composition of diverse academic disciplines to give birth to scholars equipped with the skills to present Islamic moral and humanitarian values while embodying them.
Read Also: New Committee Formed For Wafy Alumni Association – Arm Of Co-ordination of Islamic Colleges
Dignitaries including CIC General Secretary Prof. Abdul Hakeem Faizy Adrisseri, Ambassador of the Arab League Mission H.E. Dr. Mazin Al Masoudi, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, Sayyid Abbasali Shihab Thangal, Sayyid Munavvar Ali Shihab, IUML Leaders PK Kunhalikutty, ET Muhammed Basheer, advocate Haris Beeran, KM Shaji, former minister VK Ebrahim Kunju, Congress leader MLA Anwar Sadath, and MLA Hibi Eden, among others, will be participating in the grand event.
Read Also: Historic Fete For Vatanappally Group Of Educational Institutions
Scripting a new history among Kerala Muslims, Wednesday’s Wafiyya festival and convocation would probably be the first event in the state in which more than 400 female scholars are simultaneously receiving Islamic degrees.
The highlights of the fest, other than the convocation, include ‘Queue for Tomorrow, panel discussion on ‘religion and morality,’ and women’s summit and debates on relevant topics. The winners of the state-level Wafiyya competitions held in zonal festivals will be declared, and the trophy will also be distributed.
Read Also: Grand As It Can Get: VGEI Convocation And Unity College Inauguration
The selected exceptional Wafiyya students will perform the ‘best of the fest’. The distinguished guests, present in the venue, include Sayyidaths from Panakkad; Sulfath Beevi, Haniyya Beevi, Sajna Beevi, and Shabana Beevi, among others.
Thursday will mark the Wafy fest and convocation, which will begin at 8 am, with the programs of selected students from the zonal competitions which was held earlier in different phases. The day will witness Wafy convocation ceremony in which over 600 graduates are expected to receive their degrees. The notable other programs include ‘queue for tomorrow’, panel discussion and Fiqh Seminar, apart from the distributions of the fest overall trophy and Wafy efficiency award.
Read Also: No Income Inequality In Income Criteria Fixed For OBC, EWS Reservation Quota: Government
A member of the League of Islamic Universities (LIU), the CIC is the academic umbrella body that was founded by Abdul Hakeem Faizy, offering Wafy courses for boys and Wafiyya courses for girls. The courses combine Islamic and secular higher education, aiming to produce scholars adept with the scientific, cultural, political, and intellectual currents of the time. Perhaps the first of its kind in Kerala, the Wafiya course is designed to empower women in the Islamic intellectual and educational sphere.
