Islamic Saudi Academy
Encyclopedia
The Islamic Saudi Academy of Washington is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World university preparatory school
in Virginia
, accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
and authorized by IB in December 2008. It has classes from pre-kindergarten
to twelfth grade
, and has a current enrollment of more than 1200 students. It is funded by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.. In 2011, ISA graduated its first international baccalaureate class. 4 students received their full IB diploma and one of them was able to earn bilingual diploma.
and Arabic
.
, 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. and the school also 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 its 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 league
s, fielding both boys' and girls' varsity team
s. The school has 3 football fields. 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. They also now have a Teen center for kids to get better at sports.
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.
On February 23, 2005, the day after Ahmed Omar Abu Ali
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
.
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. 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. 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.
to determine if Fairfax County should continue to lease the land.
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
and authorized by IB in December 2008. It has classes from pre-kindergarten
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
to twelfth grade
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
, and has a current enrollment of more than 1200 students. It is funded by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.. In 2011, ISA graduated its first international baccalaureate class. 4 students received their full IB diploma and one of them was able to earn bilingual diploma.
Overview
The school was founded in 1984 by the Government of Saudi Arabia. It is located in Alexandria, Virginia and it's from pre-kindergarten through twelve. The school is bilingual, with classes in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
.
Programs and activities
The school's curriculum includes Islamic studies, Islam for beginners, Arabic languageArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Arabic ASL, Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, Computers, Art, English, Social Studies, and Physical Education. The school also has an Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
and an English as a second language
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
program. and the school also 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 its 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
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and soccer league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
s, fielding both boys' and girls' varsity team
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
s. The school has 3 football fields. 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. They also now have a Teen center for kids to get better at sports.
The school participates in various educational and leadership-oriented extracurricular activities. There is an annual science fair
Science fair
A science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities...
and a Shakespearian drama program. Students are active participants in the Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
program, the Presidential classroom
Presidential classroom
The Presidential Classroom is a selective high school program in which students spend a week in Washington, D.C., at the Georgetown Marriott Conference Center at Georgetown University...
program, Future Business Leaders of America, and various other programs.
Controversy
The ISA has been accused of promoting religious intolerance.On February 23, 2005, the day after Ahmed Omar Abu Ali
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is an American who was convicted of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush.-Background:...
was indicted on terrorism charges, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Charles Schumer
Charles Schumer
Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer is the senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in 1998, he defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato by a margin of 55%–44%. He was easily re-elected in 2004 by a margin of 71%–24% and in 2010 by a...
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
Bandar bin Sultan
Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is a prince of the Saudi royal family and was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He was appointed Secretary-General of the National Security Council by King Abdullah on 16 October 2005...
and U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Alberto Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
.
In October 2007, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate...
urged the US State Department to shut down the ISA on the grounds it teaches religious intolerance
Religious intolerance
Religious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute 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. 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. 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.
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." 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.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 RiceCondoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
to determine if Fairfax County should continue to lease the land.
Notable individuals connected to ISA
- Ahmed Omar Abu AliAhmed Omar Abu AliAhmed Omar Abu Ali is an American who was convicted of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network and conspiracy to assassinate President George W. Bush.-Background:...
, valedictorianValedictorianValedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of the academy in 1999, was convicted in 2005 on charges of providing material supportProviding material support for terrorismProviding material support for terrorism is a provision of the USA PATRIOT Act which prohibits material support to groups designated as terrorists. The four types of support described are “training,” “expert advice or assistance,” “service,” and “personnel.” In June 2010 the United States Supreme...
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 tortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, but the judge ruled his confession admissible. Courts have upheld his conviction but pushed for a longer sentence.
- Mohammed Osman Idris and Mohammed el-Yacoubi, both former students of ISA 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." 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 terrorism.
- Ayman ShawkyAyman ShawkyAyman Shawky Kousowa / أيمن شوقي, born December 9, 1962was an Egyptian International Striker who played most of his career with El-Ahly and a short spell with Al-Zamalek....
, a former footballer and a participant in the 1990 World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
representing Egypt, is now a teacher in the physical education department and is also the coach of the varsity soccer team.
- Susan L. DouglassSusan L. DouglassSusan L. Douglass is an American-born Muslim. She is former social studies teacher and authoraffiliated with the Council on Islamic Education. She is an Education Consultant with the Prince Alaweed bin-Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University.Douglass holds a M.A....
, a former social studies teacher at the school, wrote social studies textbooks for the International Institute of Islamic ThoughtInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtThe International Institute of Islamic Thought is a privately held non-profit organization.The Institution is concerned with issues of Islamic thought...
. The Institute was raided by the FBI in 2002 in relation to suspected terrorist links.