SYDNEY: IFAM, the Australian Forum for Australian Muslims has successfully hosted its 2nd NSW children’s Islamic quiz. The event for the children’s quiz took place from 10 am to 4pm at the University of Western Sydney Bankstown Campus on Sunday the 23th of July, with kids participating from all over Sydney, competing to take home the coveted top prize. The aim of the event was to encourage our younger generation to learn about their religion in a fun, exciting environment. By giving the opportunity to earn some fantastic prizes, including bicycles, technology and a Umrah ticket, kids became much more enthusiastic about learning their religion and therefore implementing it into their daily lives. What better way to earn prizes and gain a better understanding of your religion at the same time.

The Annual Children’s Islamic Quiz program was first initiated in Canberra by IFAM and has been running successfully there for 11 years. The Quiz was first introduced into Sydney last year, and it was an instant success with over 160 children taking part. This year, it was arguably even better, with a larger number of participants, further enriching the learning environment.

The event started off with the recitation of the Quran, followed by a short introduction of IFAM and its goals, which is to help Muslims live in accordance with the teachings of Islam and endeavour to establish the way of Islam in all spheres of life. That was followed by the first section of the quiz, a ten-question multiple choice, done by all the participants. This was followed by lunch, with delicious biryani and pani puri stalls, reliving some of the post exam stress. Then came the oral round, with each participant given two questions, which along with the multiple-choice mark decided if they would make it to the third and final test, the exciting buzzer round. In this stage of the quiz, the remaining participants battled it out against each other in groups of five, to see who would get first, second and third place in their respective age groups.

The program concluded with the obligatory photo ceremony of the winners, but no one went home too disappointed, knowing that they would all receive a prize. But best of all, through the children’s Islamic Quiz, the participants had gained something better than any prize: knowledge. Children’s beliefs are shaped when they are still very young, which they carry with themselves throughout their life. This is why it is so important to teach young children the correct teachings of Islam, so they can understand and implement that knowledge in their life until adulthood.

Initiatives such as the Islamic Quiz are an essential part of their early childhood learning. The prize giving ceremony for the Quiz will take place around mid-September at UWS Bankstown.