and what were they encouraged to learn?
Was it a generic "seek knowledge", was it just islam (which would be from the Prophet (saw)) or was it a mixture?
Did the Prophet 
encourage them to learn anything that in this and age would not be considered religious education?
Kenya's oldest pupil, Kimani Nganga Maruge, has died in Nairobi aged 90.
The great-grandfather held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to start primary school, at the age of 84.
His house in the Rift Valley was burnt down in post-election violence last year and he was later moved from a camp to an old people's home in the capital.
Despite the disruption, Mr Maruge kept hard at his studies and had two years left to finish his primary education.
Mr Maruge, a veteran of the Mau Mau independence movement, never had the opportunity to go to school when he was younger.
I think this is a very good question.
In pakistan there was a riot and christians killed recently when there were apparently false accusations of others doing this.
So what is the punishment? Is there even a punishment?
At least six people have been killed and dozens injured in a fierce gun battle in Gaza, emergency services say.
Eyewitnesses say hundreds of Hamas fighters and policemen surrounded then raided a mosque where followers of a radical Islamist cleric were holed up.
They had fired rocket-propelled grenades at the mosque in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, witnesses say.
It is thought that at least 100 supporters of the al-Qaeda-linked group Warriors of God are inside.
Hamas said a grenade fired from the mosque killed one of its fighters. The other fatalities were reported to be gunmen, and a child was also killed.
Fighting pledge
Earlier, during Friday prayers, hundreds of worshippers at Ibn-Taymiyah mosque declared Gaza an "Islamic emirate".
">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiSPRkq28iU]
Women who are optimistic have a lower risk of heart disease and death, an American study shows.
The latest study by US investigators mirrors the findings of earlier work by a Dutch team showing optimism reduces heart risk in men.
The research on nearly 100,000 women, published in the journal Circulation, found pessimists had higher blood pressure and cholesterol.
Even taking these risk factors into account, attitude alone altered risks.
Optimistic women had a 9% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up.
Lib Dems demand curbs on 'spying'
The Lib Dems want tighter controls on surveillance powers for authorities including councils and the police.
More than 500,000 requests to access phone and e-mail records were made in 2008, a report by the Interception of Communications Commissioner showed.
The Lib Dems say only a magistrate should be able to approve a request for surveillance, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa).
The Home Office said the powers should be used only when "proportionate".
'Beggars belief'
An average of about 1,500 surveillance requests were made every day in Britain last year, according to figures which have emerged from an annual report by commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy.
One in six teenagers out of work or education for a long period could be dead within 10 years, a senior government education advisor says.
Jon Coles, director of schools for England at the Department for Children, Schools and Families quoted anecdotal research from the north of England.
He said he was "profoundly shocked" by the figures and that he hoped they were not replicated across England.
Ministers said the research did not represent the national picture.
But he quoted research which looked back at the so-called 'Neets' (not in education, employment or training) of 10 years ago, and discovered that 15% of those studied had already died...
">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQc0f4vQtrY]
Arrests at anti-Islamic protest
Police in Birmingham have arrested 33 people during protests by anti-fascists and a group demonstrating against Islamic fundamentalism.
One protest involved a group known as Casuals United, which police said were made up of local football fans.
Another "counter-protest" in the city centre was organised by Unite Against Fascism, West Midlands Police said.
The protest, which began at 1800 (BST), is ongoing and police said disorder had been sporadic.
A police spokeswoman said public safety was an "absolute priority".
iMuslims is a book written by Gary R Bunt and has been reviewed by Ziauddin Sardar
The internet has rewired Islam. The web is now at the core of all Muslim communities and performs a central role in Islamic expression. It is being used to reinterpret Islam; and Muslims themselves are being transformed.
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