Muslim Students Pursue Their Studies Abroad

June 14 (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)--Some graduates of Atlanta's W.D. Mohammed High School are getting a chance to see how other Muslims live, work and play abroad.

The opportunity to travel overseas came through invitations from Islamic scholars who have befriended Imam Warith Deen Muhammad of Chicago on his travels throughout the world.

In four years, 100 students from throughout the United States have immersed themselves in Islamic and Arabic studies at two Muslim universities overseas.

Many of the students, about 25 percent, are from Atlanta, which has one of the only fully accredited Islamic high schools in the nation.

In 1997, the students began traveling to universities in Malaysia and Syria through the Muslim American Society in Chicago. Other students from the Atlanta Muslim community, inspired by the MAS tours, have taken advantage of study abroad programs at their colleges, going to Morocco, Egypt and Dubai.

Although the overseas universities are renowned in the global arena, Syria's Abu Nour Institute does not have U.S. accreditation, which means those who study there do not get college credit.

Students who apply for the MAS Syrian study tour don't seem too put out by that factor. They go to submerge themselves in Muslim cultures. They go in search of a more intensive Quranic education.

The Quran is the book of scripture in Arabic considered holy by Muslims.

The first trip was to Morocco, followed by an invitation to Malaysia during the presidency of Anwar Ibrahim. The Malaysia program was put on hold when "political difficulties" arose.

"We didn't want our young people caught up in that," said El-Amin, of Atlanta, who directs area recruiting for the MAS program.

Syria was added to the itinerary after an invitation extended by that country's foremost religious cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro.

Students pay for their own plane tickets, with the rest of the cost of tuition, room and board picked up by MAS and the host country.

Overseas, students dive into Islamic, Asian and Middle Eastern history, depending on the program. Criteria for going include good grades, intended course work, community service and a "balanced personality," said one administrator.

"We're not sending them to become another people. Islam is an international religion," El-Amin said. "You can keep your culture and ethnicity and be Muslim."

Two Mohammed Schools alumni recently returned from studying abroad.

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