ZAMBOANGA CITY — Seventy-four male detainees at the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center have completed and graduated from a seven-month Madrasa course conducted inside the facility.

Warden Jail Supt Xavier Solda said yesterday that of the 74, six were Balik Islam graduates from Tahderiyyah, which covers the Arabic alphabet or the Al-abjadiyah.

Solda explained that “Madrasa teaching has many areas of concentration, one of them on how to read the Holy Quran, how to read the Arabic language and write in Arabic language.”

The oldest graduate is 61 years old and the youngest is 20, Solda said.

Madrasa or Madaris (plural) means “school” or an educational institution offering instruction in Islamic subjects, including the reading of the Quran. It was learned that the program started in July last year and was part of the continuing jail management reforms at ZCRC-Jail Male Dormitory.

“Our strong desire for the PDLs to continue their Islamic education is anchored on the obligation of the State to protect the right to education of every Filipino while consistently promoting the free exercise of religion,” Solda said.

“We envision that through the Madrasa education programs, we can create a community of compassionate and knowledgeable peacemakers among the PDLs under our care,” he added.

As this developed, the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos in Region 9 cited the program and its graduates.

NCMF Cultural Affairs Division chief Dalhata Musa, who was the guest of honor and speaker during the graduation rites, expressed the agency’s appreciation of the BJMP’s efforts on Islamic education inside the ZCRC.