Sunday Times 2
Source of inspiration to Muslim women
Enterprising and inspiring educationist Rasheeda Mohideen who left us on Tuesday September 15, 2018 is one of those few who lived to see her dream come true.Her dream was to establish a school with all modern facilities capable of providing an all-round education to Muslim girls in Sri Lanka while preserving the values and virtues of Islam.
Rasheeda Mohideen being awarded a memento during her farewell ceremony.
In the early 1980s, when she was in Abu Dhabi where her husband Mohideen was employed, she earned a reputation as an educationist who had turned an ordinary school into one of the leading Islamic schools there.
Discussing her success in Abu Dhabi during a luncheon in Dubai she said her dream was to set up a modern school for Muslim girls in Sri Lanka and uplift their educational standards in keeping with the needs of the time. Her vision was to ensure that Muslim girls were educated just like every other girl and to empower them to make their own contributions for the development of the community and the country.
Her dream became a reality and Ilma International Girls School remains a monument to her success. It is a leading private Muslim girls’ school in the country. Located at Thalakotuwa Gradens in Colombo 5, it provides “effective and meaningful education for girls for higher intellectual attainments conforming strictly to the tenets of Islam.”
The school was a long felt need of the community. Once it was established Muslim parents who were keen on providing their daughters modern education with an Islamic background rushed to seek admission. The school, which soon became popular, accommodated as many students as possible.
The reputation of the school was such that education at Ilma was seen as an added qualification for marriage proposals.
Rasheeda’s success has become a source of inspiration for others who are keen on making their own contributions to uplift Muslim girls.
Rasheeda earned the respect and appreciation of the community.
Her strength, endurance and perseverance in achieving her dream despite challenges have given a pedestal for the Muslim community to stand on. She has given her students a chance to experience the world as independent individuals. She has broadened their horizons, inculcated in them high moral values and provided them with a sound foundation to lead a life according to Islam to be successful in this world and the world beyond.
She guided the school from 1988 and retired gracefully in 2007. In a fitting tribute during the farewell ceremony the principal and students expressed their deep sense of gratitude as follows:
“Ilma lost its founder. However her name is etched in our hearts and in the history of Muslim education forever.
She adopted the Quranic prayer ‘Rabbi Zidni Ilma (Oh Allah, advance me in my knowledge)’ as the motto of Ilma International Girls’ School. The depth of its relevance and meaning to this institution is unfathomable. Madam Rasheeda, we, the community and the country in general, are forever indebted to you.