Following months of consultation with parents, educators and Ulama, the United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA) and the Muslim Judicial Council (SA) Education Desk have endorsed a new Palestine curriculum for middle and high school learners.
Developed under the Islamic Curriculum Initiative, the programme aims to provide learners with a structured understanding of Palestine, including its history, spiritual significance and the realities of occupation, while grounding the material in Islamic values and practical action.
Moulana Ebrahim Moosa, a member of the Palestine Information Network and one of the curriculum’s curators, told VOC News that the initiative has been nearly a decade in the making and is set for nationwide rollout in early 2026, with educator training planned ahead of implementation.
“There have been discussions towards this end, particularly within Muslim schools in South Africa, spanning close to a decade. In 2018, the Palestine Information Network entered into a memorandum of understanding with members of the Association of Muslim Schools to develop a curriculum. The material was partially developed at the time, and we are now seeing it through, informed by both local and international discussions on Palestine awareness,” he said.
The curriculum includes a range of ready-to-use resources designed to support educators in delivering engaging and meaningful lessons:
Free, structured content suitable for Islamic schools and other educational institutions
Detailed lesson plans with cross-curricular links, interactive activities, vocabulary guidance, and references to the Qur’an and Ahadith
Slide decks and multimedia resources to enhance learning
Lesson and assessment handouts for teachers and students
Maps, visual aids and other supporting materials to provide context and clarity
These resources aim to make it easier for educators to teach about Palestine in a way that is both informative and firmly grounded in Islamic principles.
To support implementation, the MJC (SA) Education Desk, UUCSA and partner organisations will host a Palestine Curriculum Teacher Workshop in the Western Cape.
The workshop, aimed at equipping teachers with the knowledge and resources needed to deliver the curriculum, will take place on Saturday, 14 February 2026, at the Islamia Auditorium in Lansdowne, from 08:00 to 13:00.
The session will be conducted by Advocate Muhammed Vahed and Moulana Ebrahim Moosa and is open to all educators.
Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP by 12 February 2026 via https://bit.ly/PalEduWorkshop
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photos: VOCfm/Stockfile
