After completing both a BA and MA in Islamic Studies, I was strongly inspired to join Cambridge Muslim College. I really enjoyed the Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership course; it was an amalgamation of travel, study and experiential learning, all whilst being immersed in the Cambridge intellectual scene. The Diploma was a key milestone which formed the subsequent ten years of work that I have gone on to achieve. Studying Philosophy provided me the confidence to complete a second Master’s in Philosophy. During that time, I worked as a ‘Shaykh on the helpline’ for a BME women’s listening support service, Amina. This work compelled me to take a year’s counselling course as well as a Psychotherapy programme. As a result, I am now able to include a session of pre-marital counselling for weddings that I conduct. It also led to me co-founding Healers, the first Muslim Counselling service in Scotland. Being exposed to interfaith worship as well as visiting the Vatican and meeting Pope Francis led me to do significant outreach and inter-faith work, particularly with Interfaith Scotland, Interfaith Glasgow, Edinburgh Interfaith Association and the Scottish government.
These connections have brought about my engagement in many exciting projects. It has also presented the exciting opportunity to speak at the recent COP26 where I presented a session alongside the Archbishop of Sweden on Faith in action to strengthen community-led and gender-responsive adaptation for climate justice”. The Diploma formed the pathway to my founding of the Zainab Cobbold Institute in 2105, which serves to fill a gap in providing further, holistic, Cambridge Muslim College style, Islamic education to young Muslims who have moved on from Madrassah. Currently, I am working as the first paid Muslim university chaplain in Scotland at Heriot Watt. Before CMC, I was lost. Having access to amazing teachers and the course content provided direction and the tools to engage with my previous studies. My intellectual curiosity was awakened in unexpected areas. I can clearly see the impact of the Diploma on my daily activities, for which I am ever grateful.
Hassan Rabbani undertook the Diploma in Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership at the Cambridge Muslim College from 2012 to 2013. He has studied extensively in a range of subjects, from Islamic Studies to Philosophy to Psychotherapy. In the past ten years, Hassan has founded multiple community projects and has been actively involved in interfaith work. He is currently serving as the Muslim Chaplain at Heriot Watt University and counsellor at Healers Muslim Counselling.