What's this? Another Madrassah In The United States?

Regular readers of IBA know that I frequently write about the Islamic Saudi Academy, here at IBA, at Northern Virginiastan, and at my own sites. Because the ISA is in the Northern Virginia, where I live, I have particular interest in that specific madrassah, so I also have Google alerts set up for "Islamic Saudi Academy."

The following recently popped up in my Google alerts and is about a madrassah in Central Ohio; of course, the word madrassah is never mentioned, although the photo at the aforementioned link shows all the females wearing the hijab - the symbol of support of shari'a law:

Islamic school hopes sun rises on plans for expansion

Sunrise Academy, the private K-8 Islamic school located in Hilliard, is filled to capacity this school year and looking to expand.

"We are in the process of looking for two buildings: one for a high school and one to purchase on the East Side to start an elementary over there," said Director Leah Mohiuddin.

"That is in the works. That is what our goal is," she said.

That's how the Islamic Saudi Academy started out, too. I watched it happen before my very eyes.

Generally speaking, officials are seeking high school space in Northwest Columbus.

A new elementary school probably would open with grades K-3 and expand one grade per year through eighth grade, she said. That is the model Sunrise Academy followed when it opened its doors a dozen years ago in a former library at 5657 Scioto Darby Road.

Another similarity to the Islamic Saudi Academy, which first bought out a private school, then got, for a time, rent-free space from Fairfax County Public Schools. Again, I watched it happen before my very eyes.

Is there a pattern with these Moslem schools in the United States? Looks like it. What's going on in your neighborhood?

Enrollment this school year is 340.

"We are full to capacity. There is a waiting list in every grade level. We turned away 200 to 300 children," said Mohiuddin.

"We just have so many children in our community. Parents are all looking for an education for their children in an environment where they can learn without being afraid of who they are. That is what we offer. We are not able to get every child in here, which is a shame," said Mohiuddin.

Sunrise students don't have to worry about intimidation by students who do not understand Islamic practice, including clothing style.

"In public school, people pull head scarves off the girls. Kids still call Muslim kids terrorists. It's sad. Education is the key and we just have to keep educating people," said Mohiuddin.

Girls and women may choose to wear a scarf or hijab in public for the sake of modesty as well as to prevent others from judging them based on their looks, several young Muslim women said in an interview last year.

Although Islam is the common religion for all at Sunrise, students' families come from 32 countries, each with its own cultural heritage.

Included are families with backgrounds from Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Palestine and Puerto Rico.

The school is so diverse that Muskingum College and Ashland University send their education students and future teachers to Sunrise for diversity training, said Mohiuddin.

Members of the general public sometimes are surprised to hear classes are conducted in English and, as is the case in public schools, services are provided for those who are learning English as a second language.

Sunrise requires students to take classes in the Arabic language as well as in Islamic studies, said Mohiuddin....

--Leah Mohiuddin

Note that the author of the above article is written by the director of the school, and she is quite fond of quoting herself. Let's watch to see if she gets into the same trouble that Abdalla I.M. Al-Shabnan, head of the Islamic Saudi Academy, just squirmed out of.

As noted above, the name of the madrassah in Ohio is Sunrise Academy. Check out details about the "academy" at the school's official web site. The mission statement alone is enough to make you gag, provided that you know how to read through the code words:

Education is the primary vehicle through which a society acculturates its youth, thus retaining its identity. Because of the strength of faith of the Muslim community depends directly on its self-knowledge and its ability to integrate the principles and values of Islam into the individual, we at Sunrise strive to achieve and nurture the whole spectrum of the learner's potential: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.

Be sure to check out Sunrise Academy's web site. The "Events" tab leads to a page ablaze in jihad green. The "Links" tab redirects to Islamic Finder. And, of course, there is a donation button, too.

Sunrise Academy, huh? Shouldn't that be "moonrise"?