Bader Center: Combining religious and modern education [Archives:2002/34/Local News]

Located near Taiz Street East of Sanaa, Bader Center is one of the most respected and renowned religious centers in Yemen. It serves as the home, school, and refuge of hundreds of students coming from all over the country to learn Islam and do research, study, work in groups, and devote themselves to intellectual and general knowledge pursuits in various fields including computers.
In an interview made by Yemen Times, Sheikh Al-Murtadha Zeid Al-Muhatwari, the founder and director of the center disclosed that his center is a project that aims at combining religious with modern education to students coming from all over the country to learn Islamic regulations in the proper way so as when they graduate and go back to their villages and cities, they become ideal examples for others to follow. We have hundreds of students, whom we provide all basic needs including housing, food, education, and spiritual knowledge. We work on promoting the understanding, learning, and respecting of all different Islamic sects. This is why students here learn tolerance, understanding, and wisdom. he added.
The center includes a mosque, a religious school, a library, a research center, a dining hall, a sports arena, a computer laboratory, a research department, plus many other rooms and sections.
Unlike some strict institutions, Bader Center focuses on the education of females, whom are given extra attention. We want to stress on the need to educate our girls so as to become fully aware of their objectives in life and become good mothers and wives as well as effective members of the community. We provide female students with facilities to study computer and research in the library. Our mission is to provide education for all, for the sake of God and not for profit whatsoever. Al-Murtadha said.
Concerning the problems facing the center, Al-Murtadha complains that the center lacks cooperation of the state in many ways. We do not want the state to provide us funding or any other assistance. All we need from the government is to do its duties fully and prevent harassment or other negative action done by certain individuals or groups. Despite our limited income, I am confident that we can develop ourselves independently. We have suffered from harassment in the past, and it is about time that we start focusing on our future plans and ambitions for the sake of our coming generations.
Concerning the centers role in promoting understanding with other centers, Al-Murtadha commented, We have good relations with many institutions and centers. We encourage the idea of forming a complete network of religious centers to better understand each other and cooperate in various fields.
The activities of the center are not confined to its campus, but according to Al-Murtadha, the center arranges frequent group trips to various regions of the country. We are aware of the need to give students time to relax and enjoy themselves away from the stress of studies and reading. Hence, we do all that we can within our limited budget to take them into enjoyable tours around Yemen.
In conclusion, Al-Murtadha reiterated the need to encourage such centers, which are established to become a refuge for students who do not have anywhere to go, or who had to leave their families. Wouldnt it be great if we can prevent those students from being street children wandering in the streets with no ambitions or future? I have committed myself to convert as many boys as I can from street children to educated men and future scholars. However, my capacity is limited, and I just wish that others will follow suit and work along our side for the sake of our countrys future.

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