CHILDREN at the North Dublin Muslim School in Cabra were thrilled last week when an emerging international soccer star visited them to deliver a talk on healthy living.
Midfielder Ayman Ben Mohamed – who has been a shining light for Bohemian FC this season – was recently invited to join the Tunisian national squad for an African Cup qualifier.
But the day before he flew out to the North African nation, he found time to drop by the local school to speak to the youngsters, and take part in a playground kickabout.
And judging by the smiles on the faces of the kids and the player himself, the day was great success.
“It’s very, very important to give back to the community and to come to the school and maybe inspire some of the kids to pursue their dreams and also to focus on their education as well,” said the Bohs playmaker, who is currently studying business at Trinity College.
Along with local fitness instructor, Dean Merton, Ben Mohamed (21) spoke to the children in their classroom about healthy lifestyles. Afterwards he told Northside People about balancing his Muslim faith with his football during the month-long fast of Ramadam, which begins on June 6.
“I’m not going to lie, it is difficult,” he said.
“It’s a very long day, especially it being in summer, to fast from sunrise to sunset. It takes a few days but your body does adapt and it has proven health benefits as it cleanses and detoxifies the body and gives the organs a chance to rest.
“It’s a very good way to lose fat too, not that I’ve much to lose myself!”
Last week’s visit was organised by the Northside soccer club’s benevolent arm, The Bohemian Foundation, after they were contacted by teacher Tomas O’Séaghdha who was researching Active School Week for the school.
The school had no idea there was a practising Muslim playing for Bohs and principal, Nikkie Heron-Rice, said they were delighted when they heard Ayman would be visiting with the Foundation.
“Our pupils are passionate about football so it was a great opportunity for them to meet Ayman, who is both a footballer and a third level student,” she said.
North Dublin Muslim School has signed up for a Bohs Soccer Summer Camp that’ll take place in The Bogies (John Paul II Park) and Bohemian Foundation President, Tommy Hynes, said he was delighted to facilitate last week’s visit.
“The school asked if we could bring a player up to inspire the kids,” he said. “By sheer coincidence, we have a player playing for us who’s actually a practicing Muslim and the school was very surprised when they heard this so it worked out fantastic, especially as Ayman has now been called up for Tunisia.
“He agreed without hesitation to come and he talked to them as a practising Muslim, just like all the children in the school.”
The North Dublin Muslim School has been part of the Cabra community since September 2001 when it opened with just three classrooms and three teachers.
Situated in the Deaf Village complex on Ratoath Road there’s now over 240 pupils and a waiting list for junior classes for next September.
Pupils come to the school from all over Dublin with buses arriving every morning from Lucan, Blanchardstown, Clonee and Tallaght.
There are also many local students attending and Principal Heron-Rice says the school has excellent relationships with the local Cabra community
North Dublin Muslim School teaches the same Irish Primary School Curriculum as other schools with external teachers teaching Arabic and Religion for 30 minutes a day.
Pupils from 3rd to 6th Class pray each afternoon and the school day is extended to allow for this to happen.
Heron-Rice says the school feels it’s important to encourage pupils to be as active as possible during the summer holidays, and that’s why they signed up for the Bohs soccer camps.
There’s a healthy eating policy in operation at the school too, and pupils are actively encouraged to bring healthy lunches to class.
“We also make sure to teach the pupils about the importance of healthy eating at home too and we do lots of lessons about the Food Pyramid each year,” the Principal said.
“In terms of exercise, we offer an after-schools club free of charge to our pupils, we have a football league at lunchtime, we also have a range of activities for our younger pupils to play in the yard to keep them active and on rainy days the teachers use ‘Go Noodle’ in their classroom to keep the pupils moving.”
The Bohemian Foundation is a non-profit organisation intent on improving the health and well-being of the North Dublin community.
The foundation can be contacted through Bohemian FC or by emailing thebohemianfoundation@hotmail.com.
