New School Provides Alternative for Muslim Students

January 29, 2001

Source: The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/news_week.ssf?/news/oregonian/01/01/lc_21islam29.frame

On January 29, 2001, The Oregonian reported on the Islamic School of the Muslim Educational Trust in Tigard. "Arabic, the universal language of Islam,...is part of the curriculum at the school, founded to provide a solid academic background while guiding students with Islamic principles...The school opened with 12 students...in 1997. The enrollment of first- through sixth-graders has reached 49, and 35 names remain on a waiting list...A six-year goal is to expand to 12 grades, enrolling more than 300 students...The school's expansion follows the growth of the metropolitan area's Muslim population, estimated at 5,000 to 8,000 people," according to the president of the Islam Society of Greater Portland. Nohad Toulan, an advisory board member, said the school "'does not reflect a philosophy that we are trying to isolate our children from the larger community.'...Simply, he said, it means that Muslim families can select a school with a religious framework, as many Christian and Jewish parents do...The students learn about the Islamic principles of faith in one God, praying daily and extending charity to the less fortunate. They also study language arts, math, science, social studies and computer skills."