Talk to students of the Islamic Vocational Academy

Module sponsorship for the Islamic Vocational Academy, in partnership with Da Saba Storay Radio

Background:
PACT Radio has been training students to make needs-based programmes in the Pashto speaking border regions since 2005. Since 2007, the training efforts of PACT Radio have been concentrated in particular in religious madrassahs, in an attempt to give this marginalized section of society a source... More »

By J.M.Butt- Head of PACT Radio and Founder of the Islamic Academy

In the old days, there used to be a custom in Pashtoon villages of the border country. In mosques and madrassahs, along with talibs - students - there used to be chanays - young apprentice pupils. It was the job of the chanays to go out every evening with... More »

Nowrooz: seeking a consensus on a bone of contention in Afghanistan

by J.M.Butt

There are a number of issues that divide Afghanistan. There is also a tendency not to discuss such issues. But the more these issues are hidden under the carpet, the more deep-rooted the divisions they cause become. One such issue is Nowrooz. While the day is celebrated as a... More »

Modern journalism falls short of the mark on identification of sources

In the Islamic Vocational Academy's Journalism and Mass Communication Department, we have a module called Modern Journalism Based on Traditions of Classical Islamic Scholarship. One of the points that is stressed a lot in this module, is the importance of identification of those who are conduits for the... More »

Fund-raising and awareness-raising for Islamic Academy in Britain

The main theme of a meeting held by the Head of PACT Radio and Founder of the Islamic Vocational Academy, John Butt, in the Hubb Gallery in Birmingham, UK, on February 11th was a recollection of the great Pashtoon traditions that existed over four decades ago, when John Butt along with scores... More »

Radio workshop at Mahad'ad-Dawa Institute (Islamic Vocational Academy)

The Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the Islamic Vocational Academy is currently thriving by virtue of its partnership with Da SabaStoray Radio in Jalalabad. At present, 14 students from the Department - along with pursuing their studies in the Islamic Vocational Academy - are also doing internships in Da Saba Storay Radio,... More »

South Asia correspondent Kristin Solberg, of the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten travelled to Jalalabad to see the work of the Islamic Vocational Academy, along with its sister radio station Da Saba Storay, for herself.

She also interviewed the Founder of the Islamic Academy and Head of PACT Radio John Butt.

Her article appeared over three pages in the Sunday edition of... More »

Around fifty students gathered in the School of Languages of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi on the morning of Wednesday, February 22nd to hear a talk on "Hadith as a Model for Modern Journalism" given by the Head and Founder of the Islamic Vocational Academy, John Mohammad Butt.

The talk was followed by a lively question-and-answer session. While acknowledging... More »

The Islamic Academy and Da Saba Storay Radio turns into a dynamic partnership

Since Da Saba Storay Radio was launched by PACT Radio in Jalalabad, the impact on the Islamic Vocational Academy has been considerable.

On the one hand, the radio station provides publicity for the Islamic Academy, informing the local population about dates of examination and entrance... More »

Khutba, Cambridge University‫/‬Mahad'ad-Dawat'il-   Islamiya


From the Cambridge Muslim Chaplain and Founder/Rector of the Islamic Vocational Academy of Afghanistan (Mahad'ad-Dawat'il-Islamiya), John Mohammad Butt

This Khutba was recently given on February 10th, 2012 at Cambridge University 


Impressions of a convert

بِسْمِ‮ ‬اللَّهِ‮ ‬الرَّحْمَنِ‮ ‬الرَّحِيْم                          
ألْحَمْدُ‮ ‬للَّهِ،‮ ‬ألْحَمْدُ‮ ‬لِلَّهِ‮ ‬أَسْتَعِيْنُهُ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬أَسْتَغْفِرُهُ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬نُؤْمِنْ‮ ‬بِهِ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬نَعُوْذُ‮ ‬بِاللَّهِ‮ ‬مِنْ‮... More »

The founder of the Islamic Vocational Academy, John Butt, is currently visiting the United Kingdom in order to raise awareness regarding the aims and activities of the Islamic Vocational Academy. He is holding several meetings among the Pashtoon community in the UK. 

The following flyer provides details of one meeting to be held in this regard in Birmingham:

• February 11th... More »

Khutba, Cambridge University/Mahad' ad Dawat al-Islamiya

From the Cambridge Muslim Chaplain and Founder/Rector of the Islamic Vocational Academy (Mahad' ad-Dawa), John Mohammad Butt.

January 27th, 2012:

Emphasis on human rights in the Prophet's teachings


بِسْمِ‮ ‬اللَّهِ‮ ‬الرَّحْمَنِ‮ ‬الرَّحِيْمِ                                              
ألْحَمْدُ‮ ‬للَّهِ،‮ ‬ألْحَمْدُ‮ ‬لِلَّهِ‮ ‬أَسْتَعِيْنُهُ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬أَسْتَغْفِرُهُ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬نُؤْمِنْ‮ ‬بِهِ‮ ‬وَ‮ ‬نَعُوْذُ‮ ‬بِاللَّهِ‮ ‬مِنْ‮ ‬شُرُوْرِ‮ ‬أنْفُسِنَا وَ‮ ‬مِنْ‮ ‬سَيِّأَتِ‮ ‬   أَعْمَالِنَا‮. ‬مَنْ‮ ‬يَهْدِهِ‮ ‬اللَّهُ‮ ‬فَلَا... More »

Like other bodies in the region, the Islamic Vocational Academy took a day off for Ashura, the 10th of Muharram. But ask just about anybody - Shia or Sunni - the significance of the day and they will say it was the day when the grand-son of the Holy Prophet, Imam Hussain, was martyred on the field of Karbala.

In... More »

Khutba, Cambridge University/Mahad' ad Dawat al-Islamiya

From the Cambridge Muslim Chaplain and Founder/Rector of the Islamic Vocational Academy (Mahad' ad-Dawa), John Mohammad Butt.

Introduction:

Praise be to Allah, I seek help and forgiveness from Him. We believe in Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil in ourselves, and the evil things that we do. Whomsoever Allah guides, no one can send... More »

A BBC radio crew accompanied John Butt, the rector and founder of Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya, on a visit to his alma mater Deoband, the Islamic university in northern India where he studied for eight years. The radio crew was making a programme about John Butt entitled "Imam of peace".

The rector of Jamiyat'al-Uloom found many changes in Darul Uloom in the 25 years... More »

Khutba, Cambridge University/Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya

From the Cambridge Muslim Chaplain and Founder/Rector of the Islamic University of Afghanistan (Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya), John Mohammad Butt.

Jihad and its forms

Introduction: 

Praise be to Allah, I seek help and forgiveness from Him. We believe in Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil in ourselves, and the evil things that we do. Whomsoever Allah guides, no one can send astray... More »

The 8 February attack on Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya has been reported by the BBC and the Guardian.

To view the Guardian report "Afghan insurgents target moderate Islamic university"click here.

To view the BBC report "Afghanistan's Jalalabad university 'hit by bomb attack'" click here. More »

Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya was one of several locations targeted by bomb attacks in Jalalabad on the evening of 8 February. 

The attack on the Jamiya was not entirely unexpected. Over the last few weeks, night-letters have been distributed in Jalalabad targeting not only Jamiyat'al-Uloom, but also at least three other madrassahs - centres of Islamic learning in Jalalabad. None of those madrassahs, however,... More »

John Butt, the founder of Jamiyat’al-Uloom’al-Islamiya, explains why Afghans in search of religious knowledge should be allowed to study in India and why academic subjects often viewed as secular belong in an Islamic curriculum. The following article was originally published in the Hindustan Times.

When I arrived in Deoband as a student of Islam in the late 70s, I... More »

What we often see in Afghanistan - instead of religious elements reforming tribal customs in accordance with the teachings of Islam - is people who purport to be religious, becoming even more tribal than others.

The Kunduz Case

Take the case of Khayyam and Siddiqa, a couple from Kunduz who were stoned to death, apparently with the approval of... More »

In a BBC profile entitled "John Butt: The hippie who became an imam", correspondent Nadene Ghouri accompanied the founder of Jamiyat'al-Uloom'al-Islamiya on a visit to his alma mater Deoband, the Islamic university in India where he studied in virtual seclusion for eight years. John Butt remains the only westerner to have ever graduated from Deoband. A copy of the article appears... More »

In a recent interview, John Butt, the founder of the Islamic University of Afghanistan, spoke to the Hindustan Times about his search for Islamic knowledge and his efforts to reform religious education in Afghanistan. To read the article click here. 

In a separate video interview with the Hindustan Times John Butt discusses the need in Afghanistan to return to... More »

In a Times newspaper article entitled "Many of the punishments are tribal and not Islamic" John Butt, the founder of the Islamic University of Afghanistan, applies his knowledge of Islamic law to punishments meted out to women in Afghanistan. Research conducted by The Times suggests that there is still strong support among Afghanistan's male population for punishments that include cutting... More »