The Al-Iman School is an

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic school catering for

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

students. The school, located in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

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

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, was established in September 1990. Its main benefactor was

Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qassim Khoei Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khoei ( ; ar, أبو القاسم الموسوي الخوئي; fa, ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian- Iraqi Shia marja'. Al-Khoei is considered one of the most influential t ...

. Within four years, the school became the first Pre-K through 12 Islamic school in North America. Due to demand, between 1990-94 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 In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

. 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 Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer (salah) in a mos ...

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

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

. All the students are expected to try to read the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

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 Europ ...

."American Muslims Celebrate Ramadan"

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

, 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 (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

. 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 migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

. 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 conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

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