Many outsiders picture madrassas as strict schools filled with Qur’anic recitations. But what is life really like for the teens who spend years inside them? Teen reporter Tida Barrow spoke with Gambian girls currently enrolled in madrassas. They described their daily routines—from prayers and recitations to life lessons. One message stood out: they want more female madrassa teachers.#GirlZOffMute
00:00In the Gambia, where over 90% of the population are Muslim, it's a common
00:11thing to locate a madrasa in every corner you go. But what exactly do
00:16Islamic teens like me do there? What do we learn and how important is madrasa to
00:21our lives? I am Tida Barrow in the Gambia on Dolls of Mute. I will be chatting with
00:31two of my friends who are very active on madrasa and have been coming here for
00:35years now. Hello Mariama and Jaarai. Hello. Jaarai, what made you join madrasa? I joined
00:42madrasa because I want to increase my knowledge in Islam and to deepen my
00:47understanding about Islam and improve in my Quranic recitation and possibly to
00:53memorize the Holy Quran, inshaAllah. Mariama, can you tell me how old were you when
00:58coming to madrasa? I was about 10 years old when I joined in madrasa. Things you
01:03learn in madrasa, how important are they in your life as a teenager and also as a
01:09girl? The things I have learned so far helped me because it teaches me about
01:15Tawheed, the oneness of Allah, knowing who Allah is and the purpose of life and
01:21what actually we are doing on earth. And of course knowing about my prophet, our
01:26prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Yes, and living up to his examples.
01:31How do you think such classes are very important? Madrasa teaches us a lot of
01:38things. Like it teaches us knowledge is not just about facts. It's about the way we live
01:44our life. The importance of good character, patience, hard work and sincerity in
01:50everything I do. If you could change one thing about your madrasa, what would it be?
01:55One thing I would change about my madrasa is like we need a female teacher. Yes,
02:01because sometimes you will have questions you have to ask. You feel shy to ask the male teacher, no matter what you are.
02:06You feel shy to ask the male teacher, no matter what. Yes, it's learning, but there are other students that would not have that heart to ask the male teacher, but rather to ask the female teacher.
02:17What about you, Jara? To be honest, we really need a female teacher. Maybe some of the students can have the heart of saying, yeah, it is just learning. We should not be shy. But some students will be like, no, this teacher is a male. And there are certain questions are so personal to the extent that you cannot express yourself.
02:35You cannot express yourself to the male teachers. So instead, you feel more comfortable to express yourself with a female teacher.
02:42What advice do you have for a younger girl starting madrasa?
02:46She should be serious, patient, commitment and passion, passion towards knowledge. When you are knowledgeable, you abstain from ignorance because ignorance is a very dangerous disease. If you want something and you want to be successful, then you have to pay hard for it because learning is not easy.
03:06It's not easy. Can you tell me, Jara, what advice do you have for a younger girl starting madrasa?
03:12Gaining knowledge about Islam is not a race. It's a journey. And sometimes it becomes really difficult. Like sometimes you will think of giving up. But if you have patience, yeah, everything will be okay.
03:25Thank you so much, Mariama and Jara. It was amazing speaking to you guys. Now, let's hear from Sheikh Osman, an Islamic teacher. What does he think about the role of madrasa in the life of these girls?
03:39Islam is something that before being a real Muslim, you have to know your deen to know the basics of Islamic, like the Quran, the alphabet. If you don't know alphabet, you cannot learn the Quran. So that's why we are here in the madrasa.
03:52Can female teachers teach young girls in your madrasa?
03:55Yes. There are rules in teaching. In Islam, you not just come and start teaching people if they know the deen first, if they have the knowledge and if they have the ability and if they are active also for teaching.
04:08Because some of them don't have that time.
04:10So what is the most frustrating stereotype that you've encountered as a madrasa teacher?
04:16The first thing is the parents. Because most of them, they don't understand the role of the ustaz in the madrasa. Sometimes we want to see them supporting us.
04:25Tell their kids that you go to the madrasa, have to be with your ustaz like this, you have to be with the colleagues like this. Because the madrasa can only give you the lesson.
04:34But the proper lesson is from the family members. They will teach you how to behave. Sometimes we have students here, we cannot control them.
04:43Thank you so much, Chef Ousmane. It was a pleasure having you here today. We hope and pray that many of the parents put their attention to what you are saying about madrasa.
04:53Yeah, thank you also for everything. And we want this kalima or these videos to go anywhere, okay? Thank you so much. God bless you guys.
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