Zahira College (commonly known as Zahira) (, ) is an

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic school in

Maradana Maradana is a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Maradana is the site of Maradana Railway Station, one of the primary railway hubs in the country, serving intercity rail and commuter rail. Maradana also has many railway yards and running sheds. A t ...

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, founded in 1892 as Al Madrasathul Zahira by Islamic lawyer and educationalist, M. C. Siddi Lebbe, with the patronage of Ahmed Orabi Pasha of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. The college's campus features one of the oldest

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s in the country. The word ''Zahira'' means "excellence" in Arabic.

History

Zahira College was established as a school mainly for Muslims in 1892. It was conceived by Islamic lawyer and educator M. C. Siddi Lebbe, during a time when English education was viewed with suspicion due to its association with

proselytism Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...

. At the time, almost all schools in Sri Lanka were run by

Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and a ...

aries, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

education was seen as a tool for converting non-Christians to Christianity. This posed a challenge for Muslims who wanted to provide their children with a modern education but were wary of exposing them to religious conversion. Zahira Mosque

In a public speech in 1891 at the Maradana Mosque Hall (which later became the college mosque), M. C. Siddhi Lebbe appealed to the Muslim community to unite to promote the educational advancement of the community. This appeal led to the formation of the Colombo Muslim Educational Society, with I. L. M. Abdul Aziz as the first secretary and Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar as the first treasurer and headmaster, assisted by Ahamed Orabi Pasha, an Egyptian exile in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. On Monday, 22 August 1892, Zahira College opened its doors to students. The school started with 37 students, rising to 125 by the end of its first year of operation. The Zahira College magazine is entitled ''Crescent''.

Governance

Zahira College is overseen by a board comprising 18 governors drawn from the executive committee of the Maradana Mosque, the Zahira College Welfare Society, the Zahira College Parent-Teachers Association, and the Zahira College Old Boys' Association. M. Fouzul Hameed took over as chairman of the Board of Governors in 2006. Notable former principals of the college include

Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah Tuan Burhanuddin Jayah (1 January 1890 – 31 May 1960), was a Sri Lankan educationalist, politician, diplomat and Muslim community leader and considered one of Sri Lanka's national heroes. He started his career as a school teacher and retired ...

(1921-1947), A. M. A. Azeez (1948-1961), and

R. I. T. Alles Ralph Ignatius Thomas Alles (3 October 1932 − 28 November 2013) was a Sri Lankan educationalist. He served as the State Secretary for Ministry of Education from 1989 to 1993, was the founding principal of D. S. Senanayake College Colombo 07, ...

(1983-1985). The current principal, since 2013, is A. R. M. Trizviiy Marikkar.

Sports facilities

The project to build a college swimming pool was proposed and funded by the Old Boys Association. It was initiated in 2010 and completed on 14 July 2012, opening for students, alumni, and the public (after school hours). The college began constructing a major sports complex in 2020.

Notable alumni

References

External links

Official websiteThe College Anthem
{{Authority control 1892 establishments in Ceylon Educational institutions established in 1892 Schools in Colombo