1/1/2005 11:03:00 AM GMT
Source: kingcountyjournal.com
The classrooms of the Kindergarten at the Medina Academy, a private school that operates out of the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, look typical, with its alphabet-lined walls, posters on ''How to Treat Others'' and plants growing out of Styrofoam cups by the window.
However, it's also unique, with the Arabic handwriting on rectangles of yellow cardboard line bulletin boards, and Arabic letters illustrate pictures of a window, a shoe, a girl and a tree, and one student poring over ''Go fish!'' wearing the Islamic veil, Hijab, and a cute blue dress.
The academy, founded in 2000, offers Islamic education to nearly 90 students in preschool through third grade. It's a place where American and foreign-born children of Muslim families can learn more about the Islamic religion and all its practices.
''In American culture, it's hard to raise your kids within a lot of the frameworks of Islam,'' said Naushad Ali, father of a third-grader, Amani, and a first-grader, Elijah, at the school.
''They'll be exposed to American culture 90 percent of the time, and we felt we needed something to ground them, to give them a foundation,'' said Ali, a Muslim of Indian decent and born in Fiji.
''The end goal is we're going for two very respectful children, of their parents and of their peers and of their friends and of their teachers,'' Ali said. ''The respect element is really fundamental to the core of Islam.''
''We always add the Islamic perspective,'' said Principal Nada Fakhoury. ''Even in science, like when we're teaching about plants, we always say Allah created the plant.''
''We teach that they (students) should not hurt others, logically, and we also say, ''Allah is watching, you can't escape with lying or cheating,''' she said. ''We try to teach and enforce respect and kindness. The basic message is love and compassion.''
Ali says that he particularly values the school's discipline.
In addition to the school discipline and the teaching of Arabic, the academy offers a safe place for the students, where they can practice their religion without fear.
''In public school, it's triply hard to practice your beliefs,'' Fakhoury said. ''Now (at the academy) they see these other kids who have the same values, and they won't struggle when they're fasting for Ramadan or can't eat pork.''
No Racism
Muslims should pray five times a day, and two of those prayers happen during school hours. Ali, who attended public school in California as a child, says that he couldn’t pray there.
''It's really difficult in a regular school,'' he said.
''I don't know if it (the prayers) would be allowed. (As children) we chose to do that (not pray) rather than work or fight against a system to separate church and state.''
But Ali’s kids feel comfortable at the academy, he affirms.
''Everyone is similar to them. There's no racism or hatred or misconceptions about who they are,'' he said. “They're proud to be Muslims.''