firass

Thu, Jul 7, 2011 : 10:45 a.m.

Nicole 1- The donation comes from the muslims who pray in the Islamic Center. Remember it takes months. Some of these are well-paid professors, doctors, and enterpunors. I am sure the school can make it for public. However, remember that there few thousands of muslims in Ann Arbor and surrounding areas, and I belive after every pray if you take few hunders or thousands of dollars you will end with 1.8 million. 2- this school is for muslim-Americans . So , I am sure it represent the American vergion of islamic school. English is the dominat language. Students make complex projects . Most of teachers studied at American universities , and get in-service training by EMU. So it can't be similar to the classic Arabic school. I used to teach in Saudi Arabia , and I noticed many diffrences.

firass

Thu, Jul 7, 2011 : 10:21 a.m.

1- Well I noticed a diversity inside the school: Latin-Americans, Arab-Americans, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, European - Americans , and international students. I can say the same about faculty. 2- The school have a good relations with jewish orgnizations , and there is a plan in the next few years to invent them to the school and visiting jewish schhols around the area. I rember that we had that discussion about . About the maps , I wish that I saw them to tell you if it had Isreal or Palistine but I promise to check it when I have a chance. 3- Curriculm is the same that are in public school such as: American government, math, sience, and Englishexept they teach Arabic language , Qura'an , and Islamic studies.

firass

Thu, Jul 7, 2011 : 9:58 a.m.

As a former Arabic teacher at Michigan Islamic Academy, and current curriculum- EMU student I am so happy to share with you my experiance of the last year( 2010-2011), and make some remarks 1- demistify made a clear point about public education , and I agree with him that we must support public schools where every student should get his/her education. However, public schools have their own proplem , and that what makes private, charter schools , and religous schools are the choice for these students. Otherwise , why these parents spend that much of money insted of public schools? In other words, I wish one day all charter, and relogious schools closed. 2- It's important to let parents have choices 3- I belive that you are not against religous schools, but you are advocate Public schools which I share with if public schools reform to reash mainority ithnics and religous groups . Not only middle-eastern and muslim Americans but the entire students.

Basic Bob

Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 4:10 a.m.

@demistify, Taliban attitudes toward women have nothing to do with the Michigan Islamic Academy. Remember, we live in the country known for its Christian "barefoot and pregnant" attitudes toward women. The benefit of private religious schools is that they can incorporate values in the instruction. Public schools and many parents have abdicated their responsibility to teach the difference between right and wrong to our children.

Charley Sullivan

Tue, Jul 27, 2010 : 12:07 p.m.

Demistify: I'm also willing to do less than a minute of research online. From the Academy's website, the asterisks are mine: Admissions Admission to Michigan Islamic Academy is open to *all students* in Pre-K to 12th grade. The school does not discriminate in enrollment on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, handicap, or national origin. Michigan Islamic Academy reserves the right to decline admission to students for the following reasons, which are not considered inclusive of all reasons justifying denial of admission: (1)if a student requires special education instruction beyond the purview of the Schools capability or capacity, and (2)if a student requires English as a Second Language beyond the purview of the school's capability or capacity. Enrollment opens during the month of May and continues until all available spots are filled in a given grade. Priority in enrollment is as follows: Students already enrolled at Michigan Islamic Academy Staff children Siblings of students already enrolled at Michigan Islamic Academy All others

Charley Sullivan

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 10:15 p.m.

I'm pretty willing to bet that this school is open to non-Muslim students. As an American Christian having grown up in Muslim-majority countries, I know plenty of non-Muslims who have attended Muslim schools, just as members of the Saudi and Jordanian royal families and several other Muslims and quite a few Jewish students went to my Christian school in Washington DC, attending chapel and all. Nicole? Really??? I'm just so tired of all this Islamophobia.

Maple

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 4:23 p.m.

As an American Muslim with Italian-American Catholic immigrants (via Ellis Island) in my family tree I find the comments here (and elsewhere) to be almost identical to those used against Catholics from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. "Those Catholics are segregating themselves from the rest of society and practicing a dangerous religion and preparing to take over the country and rule by the Pope." "Those Italians/Irish/Mexicans/etc aren't adequately integrating into society". Seriously.

bedrog

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 2:40 p.m.

speechless...you raise an interesting and logically plausible scenario for the academy's expansion re the notion that hunkering down in an islamic parochial setting will alleviate parental anxieties, given the wariness about contemporary islam in the wider populace... and i make no apologies for sharing /expressing that wariness, although in my case it's from nearly 4 decades of observing studying/ islam, often 'in situ' ( pakistan, horn of africa, isreal/palestine)..but also being a fairly classic 60's liberal otherwise, which also has its own logic...i.e. i fear /distrust the 'religious right' of all faiths, and nowadays that includes alot of islam. in short i think such parachial academies foster the very distrust from the wider populace you claim they're trying to minimize. in the words of yul brynner: "is a puzzlement'.

treetowncartel

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.

With respect to those commenting about the crossing here, Once the new city ordinance takes effect drivers will have to stop and let people waiting to cross the street.

Speechless

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 1:30 p.m.

I'm not a fan of religion in general, and take notice of the efforts by religious and political conservatives to further take down free public education though a long-term death by a thousand cuts. Nevertheless, one can discern part of the motivation to expand the academy, given the tone in some comments. For parents who can afford it, this private education option offers a sense of increased cultural and personal safety for their children while at school. On a side note, as I can recall from reports years ago, the two victims in the street accident in front of the building lived at UM housing across Plymouth. An expanded parking lot would not have helped in that particular instance. Hence, the creation of a crosswalk with a safety island at center; and as of August, I believe, drivers must now yield to those waiting to enter the walk. As for promoting international hatred and violence from within a private U.S. religious institution, it will be awfully hard for anyone to top Royal Oak's own Fr. Charles Coughlin, who once lead a large church attached to a growing suburban school. This nationally famous radio priest of the 1930s insistently told his millions of listeners that, among other things, they should extend respect and sympathy to that little guy in Europe with the Chaplin mustache.

demistify

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 8:45 p.m.

Yes, "Edward R Murrow's Ghost", there are Muslims who are US citizens. Indeed, most are loyal citizens. A few have turned out not to be, though, and have been arrested as terrorists (including some born in the US). All this has nothing to do with "nicole"'s post, despite your disdain. She expressed legitimate concerns about what she sensed as a policy of cultural isolation, not the exercise of religion.

nicole

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 8:35 p.m.

Ghost: I'm not confused, I think you are confused.

demistify

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 7:25 p.m.

I have never attended the Ann Arbor Islamic Center and I cannot tell how far it goes toward Wahabi fundamentalism. I do recall that one of its imams (in charge of education, if I remember correctly) was arrested by the FBI after 9/11 as a founder of Global Relief International, a "charity" that the government closed down because it fund-raised for al Qaeda, and was ultimately deported (I read about it in the Ann Arbor News, not Fox). For other details, see the posts by "bedrog" above (including the reference to the articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News). It has been mentioned that the map of the Middle East at the Islamic Center has eliminated Israel. Indeed, on another thread "DrD" enthusiastically seconded Mozhgan S.'s call for the extirpation of Israel. That does not add up to the inference that the local school would follow the Pakistani madrassahs in training for suicide-bombing, but it also does not make for an easy unverified assumption that it teaches tolerance.

nicole

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 5:56 p.m.

Part of the mission statement says: "To provide the basic knowledge to pass on the Islamic heritage to our children." Why not pass on your American heritage to your children? We're all Americans. Or I'm a missing something, is this a school for foreigners?

DrD

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.

@Wolverine3660 - Sorry! I didn't come back to this page until now... Too bad I missed out on such an informative discussion :P Here are some stories the Michigan Daily reported on at the time about the accident (below). I do remember that no charges were pressed and someone said that the driver felt a lot of remorse. I had a bunch of classes with these girls at U of M. They were international students and I remember them being so pure, kind, and innocent. It really was unfortunate but what's so sad about it was that it was preventable and future ones still are. On a side note, it's so funny (more sad than funny) that I knew this article was going to draw typical uninformed paranoid attention to an Islamic school like it did. However, I am comforted by those other supportive comments. I went to an all boy's Catholic high school myself even though I'm not Christian. Personally, I thought that it was wonderful HAVING THE CHOICE to go to school without having the social pressures typical high schools have (exaggerated by the show "Glee"). @demistify: I don't mean this in an unrespectful tone, but you really need to talk to some people who have gone to schools like these, then judge how socially awkward or brainwashed they are... "Kill the infidel..." Are you serious? Stop watching Fox (aka Fake) News! http://www.michigandaily.com/content/students-killed-while-crossing-road http://www.michigandaily.com/content/accident-prompts-petition-traffic-light-plymouth-road https://www.michigandaily.com/content/council-debates-merits-traffic-light-fatal-crossing https://www.michigandaily.com/content/criticisms-prompt-second-plymouth-road-traffic-study

demistify

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 2:45 p.m.

I thought that my original comments were clear enough, but some intemperate responses indicate that I need to be more explicit: I am a firm believer in public education. I prefer to see children of all diverse backgrounds go to school together and learn to get along. Although I do not challenge the legitimacy of private education, I deplore segregation, whether it be based on race and ethnicity, on religion, or on wealth. And my attitude remains the same whether the initiative for segregation comes from members of a dominant group or of a less favored one. The harm done to democratic principles is not uniform (contrary to some claims above) but depends on what the children are taught about outsiders, whether they are told to be ecumenical or to kill the infidel (usually something in the middle).

bedrog

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 2:34 p.m.

trepang..please be aware that about 9 years ago a leader of the larger institution of which this academy is an offshoot was indeed found to be associated with a 'charity' that was deemed inappropriate by the u.s. government....and that the parent mosque in town is one of the only religious institutions not to sign off on an interfaith condemnation of those who have been picketing a local synagogue for 7 years.. this small group of fanatics are mostly not muslims, although purporting to act in their name. However one of the worst...at least initially ( he's happily kept his head down for awhile).. is a convert to islam and did outreach work for the ann arbor islamic center. for more on this see the WASHTENAW JEWISH NEWS 'false witnesses' series from dec, feb and march...esp the feb issue. and i say all this as much in sorrow as anger.. again 'kumbaya' doesn't cut it in the post 9/11 world.. and i wish it were otherwise more than most, since i was a professional scholar of islam and have many fond memories and friends from the islamic world. finally, as i said in my first post,if my and others' wariness is groundless in this particular case, wonderful...but no apologies whatsoever for being wary.

Trepang674

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 2:04 p.m.

Interesting discussion, I think it is a good thing that local muslims can find a good education that supports their cultural differences it that is important to them. Am so happy that we can expect the muslim teachers are not spewing the poison that some of the foreign madras's perpatrate in their classrooms. Having gone to elementary school in a Lutheran environment, I don't recall any disrespect for other religeons and cultures...mostly just a lot of math..:(

bedrog

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 12:06 p.m.

edward r...i agree re the need for unifying public education...and as to your query re the concern over islamic vs. judaeo/christian parochial schools: when either of the latter seem to be associated with recruitment /abettment of violence( as sadly many madrassahs, or madrassah "lite's" worldwide seem to be-- often via 'charities' that have been shown to fund jihadism) they have also come under justifiable scrutiny and suspicion ( although i can't think of many jewish examples). but for the christian side see the recent documentary "jesus camp' about indoctrination of far right wing youth. and its also worth noting the criticisms levelled against local places like the far right catholic THOMAS MORE LAW SCHOOL by folks like you and me because of their agressive faith -based advocacy of anti-gay, anti evolution legislation and MODERATOR...please don't delete this as 'off topic', because it clearly isnt, given many of the comments/concerns so far.

nicole

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.

I'd like to know where the 1.8 million came from? Was it private donations, and if so who were gave the money? The article doesn't cover this. My comments have been deleted several times here. I have a right to ask questions. Stop deleting my comments.

MjC

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 7:29 a.m.

Wolverine - it wasn't a hit and run accident. The driver stopped. It was a terrible and tragic accident. Two young women mistakenly walked out together in front of the driver's oncoming car (the story was verified on video because the Center has cameras set up). They must not have seen the driver coming. Because of this tragedy the city added a cross walk and a traffic light. But even now people still dart across Plymouth road at all different points, choosing to ignore the safety of the crosswalks. I do hope the academy includes an expansion of the parking lot. It's very much needed.

stunhsif

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 7:17 a.m.

Do they teach tolerance for all races and religions as they do in public schools?

bedrog

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 6:27 a.m.

in the current world climate i believe demistify expresses the concern of many...e.g. will the secular classes at the academy contain world maps that feature 'israel' or just 'palestine'?...as some such places do, raising legitimate concerns about propagandizing. at least these are legitimate, non frivolous concerns for anyone who reads a newspaper, let alone knows something about the history of the region/ world beyond the pollyanna, kumbaya level. sorry....and if such concerns are wrong in this case, wonderful and good luck and mazal tov to all involved.

Lovaduck

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 9:22 p.m.

I believe that Demystify was simply questioning why people resent religious segregation in education when its MUSLIM, but don't care when it's Judeo-Christian. Thus he/she asks whether you object to all these other religious schools, or just MUSLIM ones. My father, many years ago, a staunch supporter of public education, didn't approve of ANY private religious schools; since, he believed, they taught "biased" education. Of course, he didn't note that in the '50's, the public schools with their Bible Readings, prayers, etc. were really a type of Protestant parochial school!

Renee

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 8:55 p.m.

demistify- I'm just curious (and this is an honest question, not me being sarcastic, which is unfortunately difficult to express in an online environment)-do you have a problem with the Jewish, Christian, and Catholic schools in the area? Or the private schools like Greenhills? I know several Muslims who went to Catholic school, which contributed to the diversity there (not that it didn't have a diverse population to start with, but it added to the religious diversity there). Also, Muslims are a culturally diverse group. While they may be "segregated" at this school by religion, there will likely be much diversity in their backgrounds.

demistify

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 8:15 p.m.

I remember how hard we fought to eliminate segregation in education. The Supreme Court rejected the "separate but equal" doctrine, ruling that separation per se was bad for education. Now, the opposite is being touted, separateness and cultural isolation. It is sad.

Wolverine3660

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 3:58 p.m.

DrD- I remember that tragic event. Was the hit-n-run driver ever arrested?

Basic Bob

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 3:41 p.m.

Yes, it's a horrible place to cross the street - downhill, around a curve, it just comes up on you in the middle of the block. Maybe they should get a parking lot on the same side of the busy street like most places of worship. Putting in a traffic light will just cause people to roll through the light or even miss it entirely and go through at the speed limit.

DrD

Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 1:14 p.m.

That's great to hear! I just wish that the city would put a stop light there instead of the crosswalk. Two of my friends died crossing the street to get there a few years ago. The crosswalk isn't enough to provide safe pedestrian access from across the street.