The Al-Iman School is an

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic school catering for

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

students. The school, located in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, was established in September 1990. Its main benefactor was

Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei Marja', Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim Musawi Khoei ( ; (; ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian Shia Islam, Shia Marja', marja'. Khoei is considered one of the most influential twelver scholars. After the death of Muhsin a ...

. Within four years, the school became the first Pre-K through 12 Islamic school in North America. Due to demand, between 1990 and 1994 several grades were added. Al-Iman School is the first Islamic High School to be accepted in the Federal 'Reading First' Program.

English as a second language students

The School employs remedial reading teachers from the Education Department who test, assess and coach students in English language arts and reading in order to integrate them into the mainstream classroom lessons.

Religious observance

On Fridays, Al-Iman School students from grades 1-12 join the rest of the community in

Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

. Every morning and afternoon, students assemble in the prayer assembly hall in the school to recite from the Qur'an and also to make small oral presentations to improve verbal skills and delivery in front of an audience. Mid-day

adhan The (, ) is the Islamic call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin, traditionally from the minaret of a mosque, shortly before each of the five obligatory daily prayers. The adhan is also the first phrase said in the ear of a newborn baby, ...

is followed by congregational prayers in the assembly hall. At Al-Iman classes end early, at 2 pm, during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. All the students are expected to try to read the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

from beginning to end over the

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Euro ...

."American Muslims Celebrate Ramadan"

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

, November 25, 2000

Sports

Boys and girls in the same grade play separately. When girls have gym, boys have religion, and vice versa.

Facilities

The Al-Iman School is located at 89-89 Van Wyck Expressway West Service Road in a building, crowned by the traditional Islamic dome and

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

. The Imam Al-Khoei Foundation's research library contains more than fifteen thousand volumes, in several languages, on all aspects of Al-Islam, including

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

. This reference library is available to the community at large as well as the Al-Iman faculty. The school receives assistance from the State and City Education Department in the form of books and audio-visual equipment for the library. The 1000-seat congregation hall is regularly used for prayers, celebrations and commemorations. Al-Iman School uses the facility, that has a stage and pillars, for display of exhibits during the science fair, Heritage Day, and for graduation from kindergarten, sixth grade, eighth grade, and high school. Al-Iman has been dogged by space constraints for some time. A closed-down warehouse adjoining its premises was purchased and plans have been drawn up to erect a four-story extension. The new facility will house a gym and health club facility with an

Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champions ...

available to the community. Two floors of classrooms, laboratories, and administrative offices will be connected to the existing building by a sheltered walkway.

External links

Official site

References

{{authority control Islam in New York City Islamic schools in New York (state) Private high schools in Queens, New York Private elementary schools in Queens, New York Educational institutions established in 1990 Private middle schools in Queens, New York Jamaica, Queens 1990 establishments in New York City