Islamist Watch Recommendation to the Minnesota Board of Education
Regarding the Status of Sponsors at Charter Schools

Islamist Watch
November 15, 2008

http://www.islamist-watch.org/1067/islamist-watch-recommendation-to-the-minnesota

Excerpt:

Last year, the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA) in Inver Grove Heights, MI raised controversy when a substitute teacher alleged that the publicly funded charter school was teaching Islam. Now, the Minnesota Education Trust (MET) is raising eyebrows by applying to be a sponsor of charter schools because its articles of incorporation state that one of its goals is "to promote the message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims and promote understanding between them."

TIZA was accused of leading students in Islamic prayer on Fridays and teaching Quranic classes after school everyday, among other religious practices, which violated the separation of church and state doctrine. Further investigation revealed that TIZA is housed at the headquarters of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, along with a mosque. Its sponsor is Islamic Relief USA, a California-based organization, and TIZA's K-8 students are nearly all Muslim. In the end, some changes were made, but the school was not found to be in such gross violation as to have their funding or charter status taken away.

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