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Coordinates: 38°48′46″N 77°19′54″W / 38.81274°N 77.33172°W / 38.81274; -77.33172
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*'''[[Susan L. Douglass]]''', a former social studies teacher at the school, wrote social studies textbooks for the [[International Institute of Islamic Thought]]. The Institute was raided by the FBI in 2002 in relation to suspected terrorist links.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38304 World Net Daily] Article: Look who's teaching Johnny about Islam</ref>
*'''[[Susan L. Douglass]]''', a former social studies teacher at the school, wrote social studies textbooks for the [[International Institute of Islamic Thought]]. The Institute was raided by the FBI in 2002 in relation to suspected terrorist links.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38304 World Net Daily] Article: Look who's teaching Johnny about Islam</ref>

*'''[[Mohammad Badeges]]''', author of the novel Tentacles and Rainbows and staunch critic of contemporary Islam and Saudi and Israeli policy.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:42, 31 October 2009

Islamic Saudi Academy / الاكاديمية الاسلامية السعودية
Address
Map
8333 Richmond Highway

Alexandria
,
Virginia
22309
Information
Funding typePrivate
Founded1984
PrincipalAbdulrahman Alghofaili
Grades1st to 12th
LanguageEnglish & Arabic
CampusSuburban
Websitehttp://www.saudiacademy.net

38°48′46″N 77°19′54″W / 38.81274°N 77.33172°W / 38.81274; -77.33172

The Islamic Saudi Academy is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World prep school in Virginia, accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and authorized by IB in December, 2008.[1] It has classes from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, and has a current enrollment of more than 1200 students. [2]

Overview

See also: Single-sex school

The school was founded in 1977 by the Government of Saudi Arabia. It is located in Alexandria, Virginia and it's from first grade through twelve. The school is bilingual, with classes in English and Arabic.

Programs and activities

The school's curriculum includes Islamic studies, Islam for beginners, Arabic language, Arabic ASL, Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, Computers, Art, English, Social Studies, and Physical Education. The school also has an Advanced Placement Program and an English as a second language program. [2] and the school aslo has the IB program and offers IB English A1 + B, IB Arabic A1+B, IB Biology HL, IB Math HL + SL, IB Art, IB History HL+SL, and IB Psychology. so it is students can graduate with an IB diploma.

The ISA is a member of the Northern Virginia Independent Athletic Conference (NVIAC), and participates in the basketball and soccer leagues, fielding both boys' and girls' varsity teams. The school has 3 football fields. [3] The school is a supporter of the Mount Vernon Youth Athletic Association, an all-volunteer community program that uses athletics to teach discipline and good citizenship to area youths.

The school participates in various educational and leadership-oriented extracurricular activities. There is an annual science fair and a Shakespearian drama program. Students are active participants in the Model United Nations program, the Presidential classroom program, Future Business Leaders of America, and various other programs. [2]

Controversy

The ISA has been accused of promoting terrorism. The tabloid Philadelphia Daily News nicknamed ISA 'Terror High'.[4]

On February 23, 2005, the day after Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, ISA's valedictorian in 1999, was indicted on terrorism charges, New York Senator Charles Schumer issued a press release questioning whether the ISA was "another madrassa". Madrassa is the Arabic word for school, but in America the term is often incorrectly associated with the teaching of radical Islamic theology. Senator Schumer sent letters to Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan and U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.[5]

In October 2007, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the US State Department to shut down the ISA on the grounds it teaches religious intolerance. The Commission accused the ISA of promoting religious intolerance that could prove a danger to the United States. The Commission was not able to review the ISA's teaching materials because they refused to accept them from the ISA directly, but rather requested they be sent by the Saudi embassy.[6] In response ISA officials stated that they had removed offensive passages from the books the previous summer, but did not explain why the Saudi embassy officials had refused to personally make the books available to the Commission.[7] Officials of ISA criticized the USCIRF, saying that the panel unfairly damaged the school's reputation, and invited the commission members to review the books; an offer which was refused.[6]

Textbook passages

In June 2008, another USCIRF report stated that textbooks at ISA teach students that it is okay for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, and also teach that, "The Jews conspired against Islam and its people."[8][9][10] ISA officials stated the aforementioned textbooks are sorely outdated, and once again invited the USCIRF to visit its campus to review more recent materials, the rejection of such an offer leads the ISA to doubt the intentions of the investigation.[11]

Land lease

ISA's campus is leased from the Fairfax County government on a year-to-year lease, and the issue has occasionally been raised that perhaps Fairfax should not continue leasing the land if the ISA's textbooks do promote terrorism or intolerance. On June 23, 2008, Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors made a formal request to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to determine if Fairfax County should continue to lease the land.[12]

Notable individuals connected to ISA

  • Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, former director of the academy, was arrested June 9, 2008, and charged with failing to report a child abuse allegation and obstruction of justice.[13] On July 24, 2008, Al-Shabnan pleaded no contest to the failure to report charge in exchange for the obstruction charge being dismissed by the prosecutors.[14]
  • Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, valedictorian of the academy in 1999, was convicted in 2005 on charges of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His defense team argued that his first confession in Saudi Arabia had been extracted under torture, but the judge ruled his confession admissible. Courts have upheld his conviction but pushed for a longer sentence.[15]
  • Mohammed Osman Idris and Mohammed el-Yacoubi, both former students of ISA [16] were denied entry to Israel in Dec 2001, under suspicion of planning to carry out a suicide martyr attack. The two were departing JFK International Airport when a letter was found in el-Yacoubi's luggage which was characterized as "a farewell letter...for a suicide mission in the name of Jihad."[17] The two hastily boarded a flight to Jerusalem, leaving behind their belongings. However, when the flight arrived in Israel, the two were detained and sent back to the U.S. Idris was later charged with lying to a federal grand jury investigating terrrorism.[18]
  • Ayman Shawky, a former footballer and a participant in the 1990 World Cup, is now a teacher in the physical education department and is also the coach of the varsity soccer team.
  • Mohammad Badeges, author of the novel Tentacles and Rainbows and staunch critic of contemporary Islam and Saudi and Israeli policy.

References

  1. ^ "Islamic Saudi Academy". ibo.org. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c http://www.saudiacademy.net/html/about_ISA.html
  3. ^ http://www.saudiacademy.net/html/fastfacts.html
  4. ^ Bunch, William (2005-02-23). "EX-VALEDICTORIAN AT 'TERROR HIGH' NAMED IN PLOT TO KILL BUSH". Philadelphia Daily News. pp. 11–14. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ senate.gov
  6. ^ a b Washington Post Article about ISA's response to USCIRF report from October 2007
  7. ^ Washington Post Article: State Dept. Urged to Shut Saudi School in Fairfax
  8. ^ USCIRF Report
  9. ^ Fox News
  10. ^ Bloomberg
  11. ^ ISA press release June 13, 2008
  12. ^ Washington Post: Article discussing Fairfax County's request to the State Dept. regarding the land lease to the ISA.
  13. ^ Washington Post Article about the arrest of Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan
  14. ^ Washington Post Article about resolution of charges against Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan
  15. ^ Reuters Article: Court upholds conviction in Bush al Qaeda plot
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ New York Daily News
  18. ^ Criminal complaint in U.S. v. Mohammed Osman Idris
  19. ^ World Net Daily Article: Look who's teaching Johnny about Islam
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