Past events at Schools

Presentation at St. Mary’s Primary School, Chiddingfold

Wednesday, 24th January 2024
Dr. Naqvi gave a talk on the topic, “What helps Muslims to live a good life?” to 50 students from Years 1 and 5. The 90-minute session was engaging, with the students showing great interest and enthusiasm to learn more about Islam. The Principal and four teachers also attended, and both students and staff actively participated by asking thoughtful questions.

Multi-Faith Day at St. Mary’s Primary School, Byfleet

Friday, 20th September 2019

The day began with a whole-school assembly at 9 am, where Marian Nash used her shoes to tell a story about empathy and understanding. She also shared photos from a Holocaust Memorial in Budapest, highlighting the importance of compassion and the need to appreciate others’ perspectives. Marian concluded by encouraging dialogue and shared experiences to foster peace and harmony, followed by a student reading a prayer they had written.

Marian and Simon Trick visited Years 1–3, discussing Christianity and Baha’i teachings on peace, while Zafar Iqbal and Rev. John McCabe spoke to Years 4–6 about Islam and Christianity. The children actively participated, asking thoughtful questions. Teachers incorporated activities about other religions, such as Buddhism and Judaism, throughout the day.

Feedback from the day included:

• "It was my best day at school ever."

• A quiet child shared their faith with passion for the first time.

• "Meeting different people made it easier to understand and respect everyone."

Interfaith Assembly at New Monument School

Tuesday, 3rd July 2018

Representatives from the Baha’i, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Humanist, and Muslim communities joined the school assembly to engage 200 pupils from KS1 and KS2 in an interactive, hour-long session.

The assembly began with introductions and an action song. KS1 pupils participated in a story about teamwork, using crayons to create a beautiful picture, while KS2 watched a video about DNA testing, showing how our diverse origins connect us. To energize the room, everyone stood up to sing "If You're Happy and You Know It."

An engaging activity followed, where pupils attempted to eat raisins with straight arms. The audience soon realized teamwork was the solution, emphasizing the importance of cooperation.

The session concluded with Simon leading the group in the echo/action song "We Are Drops," and each speaker sharing their version of the Golden Rule:

• He should not wish for others what he does not wish for himself (Baha’i).

• Act towards others as you would act towards yourself (Buddhism).

• Do to others as you would have them do to you (Christianity).

• What is harmful to yourself, do not do to your fellow men (Judaism).

• Treat others as you'd want to be treated; avoid what you wouldn’t want done to you (Humanism).

• None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brothers what he wishes for himself (Islam).

The pupils were attentive, engaged, and exceptionally well-behaved, making the session a resounding success.