The leader behind a new Islamic home-schooling program in Newfoundland and Labrador says the group plans to become a full-time private school as early as next year.
Mohamed AbdAllah, board chair for N.L. Islamic School, says it will go a long way to keeping families of the Islamic faith in the province -- and it will help young newcomers avoid a culture shock.
"It's important if we want to keep people here, to build something for them," AbdAllah told the St. John's Morning Show on Thursday. "It's not just to throw them into the ocean and tell them how to swim."
At present, about 20 children between Grades 1 and 5 are enrolled in a full-time home-schooling program run from a temporary location near downtown St. John's.
They follow the standard curriculum set out by the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, with additions specific to the Islamic faith.
"They learn the tradition of their faith," AbdAllah said. "How to behave, how to eat, how to drink, how to pray. The basics of what their parents usually teach them at home. So they come and apply it also in school. Our school is a continuum of who they are and what they believe in and how their parents want to raise them."
The program started on a part-time basis last year, but since then demand has swelled.
AbdAllah said the board circulated a survey, which heard from more than 150 people interested in enrolling their kids in an Islamic education program.
Families have left to seek private education
AbdAllah -- who has been in Newfoundland and Labrador for nearly 20 years -- said there's been interest in a private education program the entire time he's been here, but there haven't been enough students until recent years.
He said public education is a "great system," but people want the choice of a faith-based education. The province does have multiple private Christian schools, including St. Bon's and Anchor Academy in St. John's.
It's so important to some families that they've chosen to leave the province.
"We've seen a lot of professionals leave the community because their kids don't have a school that they have an option to send them to," AbdAllah said.
He said it's easier for adults to assimilate to their communities, but children sometimes struggle with the shift. AbdAllah said he's heard stories of Muslim children dealing with racism and bias in the province's public system. He's hoping N.L. Islamic School can help ease those transitions and teach students about acceptance and diversity.
"Being accepted and being present makes people feel like, 'OK, we can actually exhibit what we believe in. There's no problem with that. We can be different.' We don't have to agree with each other, but we have to live with each other. And that wouldn't happen without knowledge, and conveying that knowledge to each other. And that's what we're trying to do."
He said the group has its sights set on a building to be a full-time home for an accredited school as early as next year. They are seeking private funding of about $500,000 to make it happen.