The Al-Wahidhiyyah Arabic College in Kalmunai is a small privately funded school for boys. Like the Christian Parochial Schools, nowadays rare in Europe, this school teaches along the official government curriculum, but gives special religious lessons. The boys were interested to use the little English they knew, and really open and friendly. I hope they keep this attitude and not only learn the words of the surahs, but also their deep and in many aspects very tolerant and open essence.
Update: I was thinking about Aaron Vincent Elkaim’s photographic essay about remnants of Jewish life in Morocco. Definitely worth seeing, not only for the photography but also the context and content.
Beautiful children; beautiful photos, but I have to ask: was there a similar school for girls?
Well, Kalmunai for sure is a very conservative place. While there are female Imams in some countries in Northern Africa, I have not heard of anything like this in Sri Lanka. I guess it will take some time until such a development starts there.