Last week to join the Intensive Mandarin Course on Saturdays

Published by Islamic Circles on 16 May, 2008 - 10:54

Last week to join the Intensive Mandarin Course on Saturdays

Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

This Saturday will be your last chance to join the
Intensive Mandarin Course. Please find below more information
about the course structure, content and pricing, inshallah.

Please forward who may be interested.

To proceed with booking please provide the following:
[Failure to provide all the details required will mean
no booking will be either confirmed or guaranteed]:

Full Name:
Mobile Number:
E-mail:
Town/City:
I have read and agreed with the Terms
of Conditions as stipulated below: (Yes/No)

***********************************************************************

FAQs ABOUT PREPARING FOR THE NEXT SUPERPOWER - 10-WEEK INTENSIVE MANDARIN
COURSE:

1. WHY SHOULD MUSLIMS LEARN MADARIN?

An ancient Chinese proverb says, "May you live in interesting times."

"The other – which I see so plainly now – is that the centre of gravity,
economically and politically, is shifting East. And it is shifting fast. "
- Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair, ‘Faith and Globalisation’, Thursday
3rd April 2008, London

According to the Muqaddimah of the great Muslim Historian Ibn
Khaldun, "All civilisations rise and fall". In the 21st Century
we are witnessing the decline of the West through its ageing
population and downward spiral towards moral bankruptcy. At the
same time, the ancient civilisations of China and India are
undergoing a resurgence and are expected to become superpowers
in the near future. Unlike India which has dropped Sanskrit as
its language of commerce, China has retained its ancient way of
communication. With over 1200 years of Sino-Islamic relations,
ranging from the early da'wah efforts of the companion, Sa'd ibn
Abi Waqqas (ra), to the pioneering journeys of the greatest naval
commander in Chinese history, Admiral Zheng He, to the fact that
there are some 100 million Muslims living China today, Muslims have
a rich and unique relationship with China. Part of developing
the relationship is to understand the language of this great
civilisation. Learning Mandarin is one step towards preparing
the Ummah for some of the challenges of the 21st Century.
The Zheng He Foundation has organised a programme of courses
and events to facilitate this process.

2.WHEN AND WHERE IS IT ?

Started already and last week to join
Date: Saturdays until Saturday 12th July 2008
Time: 10am - 12 noon (2 hours)

Existing class:
Date: Sundays
Time: 9am - 11am (2 hours)

To allow for flexibility, we have two sesssions running
on two days. Participants can attend both classes for extra
practice but both will cover the same content.

3.HOW MUCH IS IT AND HOW DO I PAY ?

Cost for the 10 weeks [This pays for the hall hire and teaching]

Students: £100
Non-Students: £150

Payment mechanism: CASH and ALL UPFRONT on the first day of the
course

Notes will be provided however students will have to bring their
own stationary. Prices have been discounted and there will be no more
discounts irrespective of status [students or professionals or unemployed].

No pay as you go system and there will be no refunds irrespective of
the situation.

4. WHAT IS THE COURSE OUTLINE ?

This course is open to all and, if successful, regular classes
would be organised for both children and adults. In this introductory
Mandarin Level 1 course participants will be taught how to
write the commonly used Chinese radicals which still form the
basis of modern Chinese writing. By mastering these radicals
students will learn other ideographs more easily and learn
how to use a Chinese/English dictionary. Students will also
learn to converse in everyday situations. The approach used
to teach writing, reading and conversing is based on
accelerated learning principles. The following aspects are
to be covered:

Course Aims:
• Enable students to communicate on a basic level
• Increase students' understanding of Chinese people, their way of
life and appreciation of cultural diversity and history of China
• Construct the curriculum based on students' needs and interests
• Provide learning experiences based on real life situations

Learning Skills
• Listening - comprehend basic oral communication within the range
of topics and functions
• Speaking - concentrate on the accuracy of the tonal system of the
Chinese language and situational dialogues
• Reading - read in Pinyin and be able to comprehend most of the
material in the topics and functions covered in the course
• Writing - learn the basic radicals of Chinese characters
and remembered in a meaningful way

Assessment:
An exam to assess reading, writing, listening and speaking competencies

Revision:
Language is learned best with maximum usage.
Tasks to do at home will be provided to assist this.

5. WHO IS THE TEACHER's AND WHAT IS THEIR QUALIFICATION ?

Taught by
Sister Dr. Ashiyat (WeiHua Ma) (Xi’an University and Zheng He Foundation)*
Ibrahim Chao Ma (Peking University and Zheng He Foundation)*

*Sister Ashiyat (WeiHua Ma) is orginally from the People's Republic of China (PRC),
Xinjiang province and Hui in ethnic origin, Chinese Muslims who are decendants of
Arab and Persian traders over the 1,300 years history of Sino-Islamic relations.
She completed her Masters in Chinese linguistics and literature from Shan’xi
University, Xi’an and then went onto pursue a Doctorate at the Fudan University,
Shanghai. She has taught English and Mandarin to foreign students at various Chinese
Universities in the last 6 years and currently she is an Academic Visitor at
SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) London, researching on modern and
contemporary Chinese literature. She also is a tutor and member of the Zheng
He Foundation based in the UK and China, promoting Sina-Islamic relations.
For more information about the Zheng He Foundation, please visit

**Ibrahim Chao Ma is orginally from the People's Republic of China (PRC),
Tianjin province and Hui in ethnic origin, Chinese Muslims who are
decendants of Arab and Persian traders over the 1,300 years history of
Sino-Islamic relations. He graduated from China's top university, Beida,
the Peking University in Beijing and completed his Masters from
the Leipzig University in Germany and the LSE, in London. He
has been an English and Mandarin tutor and in Chinese International
Relations at the Peking University. He also speaks fluent German.
Currently he is a tutor and member of the Zheng He Foundation based
in the UK and China, promoting Sina-Islamic relations. For more
information about the Zheng He Foundation, please visit

6. HOW DO I BOOK AND WHEN IS THE DEADLINE ?

Before you book, please READ the FAQ and if you are happy
with the conditions outlined, then to proceed with the booking
by providing the following:

[Failure to provide all the details required will mean
no booking will be either confirmed or guaranteed]:

Full Name:
Mobile Number:
E-mail:
Town/City:
I have read and agreed with the above
Terms of Conditions: (Yes/No)

Once we have recieved ALL the information you be sent a confirmation
e-mail and thus you will have sucessfully enrolled onto the course.

If you have any more questions please contact:
Tel: 07956 983 609
E-mail:
Website:

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Wassalaam 'alaikum wa rahmatullaah.

- Zheng He Foundation