Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1898 — Moslem Students in Cairo. [ARTICLE]

Moslem Students in Cairo.

In Cairo at the ancient academy of Ell Azhar 1,509 students are taught the doctrines of the Koran, the Moslem Bible. The students sit cross-legged in groups of from four to eight, with a ulama, or teacher, in their midst. Exercise books are seldom employed, but occasionally a student makes a note with a reed on a slate, which is held in the left hand. The necessary outfit consists only of a rug, a copy of the Koran, and a low stand. Each pnpll learns his lesson aloud, and the air is full of the most distracting noises, that may be heard at a great distance. The Koran alone is taught in these schools, the pupils being quite Ignorant of mathematics, history or the sciences.