March 1996 Our School, Our Future Here

by Dr. M. N. Tarazi, Board of Trustees, Islamic Society of Greater Columbus

The first sign on Islam in North America was the construction of a mosque to establish community prayer. We have 3 mosques in Columbus, alhamdulillah, plus a new one under construction on Sunbury Rd. by the Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio, and another on the drawing board for Wilcox Rd. in the near future, planned by the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus. Our city is big, and we need places for prayer properly placed around the city. This growth should not be viewed as competitive, but complimentary, providing for the multiple needs of our diverse community.
The second stage of Islamic settlement is the establishment of a full time school. a school can create an Islamic environment for our children, so that they can experience the difference and fully appreciate what our religion offers as a total way of life. An Islamic education prepares a child with knowledge of Quran, Sunnah, and Arabic, to be able to grow up with a close relationship to Allah nd to his or her family and community, following the guidance of Allah (SWT). But an Islamic education includes more than this. An Islamic education also prepares a child to be a participating citizen in the world, well mannered and respectful of others, knowledgeable in general culture in a wide sense of the world, as well as knowledgeable in technical and practical how-to information.

For too long we have suffered with the public school system, where our heritage and religion are ignored if not insulted. A full time Islamic school has a wider impact on the community than just the education of its enrolled students. It sets an example and a standard of professional education for all other educational efforts in the community, the Saturday and Sunday schools for Muslim children remaining in public schools, and for adult education, providing facilities, resources, and inspiration for teachers, parents, children, and adults throughout the community. An initial primary school, once started, will provide the base for a whole school system, form preschool through high school, hopefully with sites throughout our geographical area.

With this dream before us, the school committee has investigated many properties. Sometimes we have asked the community to visit a promising site, raising hopes, only to have them fall as we had to drop each project for one reason or another. This fall we assembled still another committee, and made a promise to open a school in September 1996, but we still lacked a site. There were few buildings that met the requirements of a school. The Robinwood School, proposed last fall, proved, upon closer examination, to be a major maintenance liability, with high utility costs and an asbestos problem. the question of location has always been a major concern, to be easily accessible to the greatest number of Muslim families.

A limited survey of our community, conducted by the school committees in December, found an overwhelming support for the school concept. Nearly everyone polled said they would volunteer time and effort to support the school. Though the school will of course be run by a paid professional staff, this volunteer energy can be channeled in many ways to increase the quality of the school. Professional architects and engineers of our community have already volunteered time and effort to evaluate buildings and sites, and will continue to recommend wise design and maintenance of facilities. Volunteers can help with car-pooling for field trips, gardening, library staffing and teacher assisting, but most importantly with fundraising. Quality education costs, and the community has a responsibility to help parents with this effort.

Another outcome of the survey was a repeat of a study done several years ago by an earlier school committee. Most Muslims live in the northwest corner of Franklin County. An analysis of membership lists for both the ISGC and IFCO revealed the same results. Easy close access of any school to people living in this area is essential to the success of the school.

Ramadan has truly been a blessed month for us this year, for we have been able to sign a contract for a building and land for our first full time school The building committee negotiated a contract on the site before announcing it, to avoid further discouragement for the community if negotiations didn't work. Negotiations worked; for the first time we were able to sign a contract to buy a building. The contract included an escape clause, to allow time for shurah, consultation, with community leaders, the Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, the Shurah Council, and the school committees. Others were consulted about the project and a general recommendation came for the purchase.

So now we are announcing to the whole community that we have a contract signed to pay $470,000 for the current Hilliard Public Library building, an 8,000 square foot building on 3.4 acres of land. immediate renovations to make it a small school will cost an approximate $50,000 more. The location is on Scioto-Darby Rd. 1.5 miles west of I-270 Hilliard exit, (10 minutes from the current site of Friday prayers). We hope to open a minimum of k-3rd grade by September in the building. We have room to grow at this location and can plan to build 2 additions of equal size to the present building on the land, as we have community commitment and student enrollment. We encourage everyone in the community to visit the library building on Cemetery Road. [driving directions omitted]

We have 6 months to pay for the building. On April 30, the first installment of $100,000 is due, and we take possession. Sixty days later we will need $200,000 for the next installment. Sixty days later we will, Inshallah, make the final installment of $170,000. On August 30, we will Inshallah, open with the first year of classes.

Now is the time to make sacrifices for our children. This dream is worth so much more than the pizza parties, computer games, and other luxury things people buy their children and themselves. This is our chance to ensure the continuation of our religion by the next generation, our children who will, Inshallah, be better educated than we are ourselves. We need donations from the whole community to support this chance for our children.

Please pledge as much as you can for the next 6 months to pay for this school. Pledge! We need an endowment fund to help pay tuition for the poor in our community. Pledge! We need the best professional Muslim teachers, the essential element to the success of our school. Pledge! We have been a very generous community in giving charity to any good organization from out of town or abroad that came and asked for our help: for Bosnia, Chechnya, Palestine, Kashmir, and many others. Now it is here at home, for our own children, for our own future, that we need to give our very best. Pledge! We need a school we can be proud of, to fulfill our obligation as Muslims to pass on what was passed down to us, in a continuous chain from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).