Even being born and raised in the United States, we still have grammar mistakes and imperfect language structure when writing and speaking. English might be an easy language for native speakers, but for foreigners / immigrants, this isn’t the case. Data shows that the evident language barrier prevents parents from being involved in school events, causing their student to be academically absent. 

The islamic institute founded in the early 2000s, has been a center of safe and tranquility for all immigrants and new Muslims alike. They offer English, Arabic, and other beneficial courses as a means to succeeding as a new immigrant in this country. In 2010, Abubakar Masjid was recognized by the city and was able to receive large funding for annual competitions and rewards. Hoards of new and born Muslims came to participate in the events. In these events, the Islamic Institute made sure no discrimination was to be tolerated, surprisingly, even non-Muslims were said to have been found participating.

The institute later found formed a private school where children of immigrants attended to hone their skills and be prepared for the advanced curriculum ahead of them. They began to help parents find funding for housing and living expenses, living without worrying about food on a table.

Full-Time Private School:

Weekend Classes:

One of the programs offered by this organization is for families who don’t want to fully dedicate to the program but still want to enjoy the benefits and support that comes with it. Students would only attend classes on the weekend where they would learn more about their culture and religion so their identity isn’t lost while attending a new western school.

Sports Teams:

Because you cannot take the thrill of competing in games with peers from young students, the organization has formed a basketball and soccer team with annual community competitions that include prizes. The whole event would be hosted in English and player communication was expected to be English as well, so that students could utilize their adrenaline to boost their understanding of the language. 

Religion-Related Contests:

One of the main reasons parents choose to enroll their child into the organization, is for how engaged it is with religion and its practices. With a very generous prize pool, students are incentivized to perform well in their Islamic studies. Other Islamic organizations come together to host these events together, one of the biggest annual competitons is held in Minnesota. Plane tickets for contestants are funded for, and winners have a chance to compete in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to win the biggest prizes of them all.

Accessing this information wasn’t the easiest because the website has never been fully published, so I had to talk to a lot of the leaders and attenders. I really don’t like how the website is outdated, but if you call the organization’s number, some of the programs are accessible and explained. One more thing I noticed was that the full-time curriculum is an 8-hour day school day, making it the same as public schools. This would mean that they would try to squeeze in more knowledge and information instead of extending school-hours for the best outcome. 

Other organizations include Zayd bin Thabit and Islamic Learning Center who’ve used this organization as a great example of assisting Muslim immigrant families. Zayd does a great job of making the school accessible to Muslims who aren’t necessarily immigrants but still interested in learning more about the religion with their religion only classes on weekends.