Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious & Social Sciences

P.O.Box 93157
Atlanta, GA. 30377-3157, USA

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Introduction

Challenge for Muslims in America:

Islam has become a rapidly growing religion in the West in general and in the American continent in particular. The establishment of the Muslim communities in large and small cities of the Western hemisphere is a visible sign of Islam's growth in size and essence in the area. The Western media has repeatedly acknowledged this fact and the daily conversion of non-Muslims to Islam throughout the world confirms this. But at the same time it is a fact that the Muslims in America, a country of many faiths and cultures, are facing a serious challenge in this new environment. Presently, the environment and the social climate in the West are not conducive to Islamic faith and morality. Because of the incongruous environment, there are chances that many of the present Muslims might lose grasp of their faith and religious practices. Of special concern are the Muslim youth (male and female) who can easily become victim the un-Islamic activities and alluring practices existing around them. Due to the influence of the western social structure, culture and television, the young Muslim generation is unable to attain the proper comprehension and clear understanding of their religious faith and culture. The current co-educational school system in America is based on the philosophy of liberalism and complete freedom of the individual. Unfortunately, this further distances the Muslim youth from the teachings and concepts ofIslam.

In addition, the American Muslims are scattered throughout the country in search of their livelihood. Many Muslim communities are unable to establish Islamic schools for their children due to their small number and limited resources. Thus, most of the Muslim parents have no alternative but to unwillingly send their children to the public schools, where the children, in the process of learning and training, remain unaware and unconscious of the Islamic values and moral system. Instead, they adopt all those manners and concepts of life which are totally alien to Islam in theory and practice.

Solution/Remedy:

In order to surmount this challenging problem and the situationsuccessfully for safeguarding the Islamic faith and culture, theMuslims of American continent are in dire need of properresidential Islamic institutions where the Muslim youth (male andfemale) may have an opportunity to practice their religion andstudy Islamic sciences along with their formal education in anIslamic environment.

Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious and Social Sciences

With this concept in mind, Georgia Islamic Institute of Religiousand Social Sciences (GIIRSS) has been established in the suburbanarea of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. For this purpose a 20 acre parcel ofland has been acquired in the greater Atlanta, GA, area (on Hwy.78, about 5 miles East of Loganville township). The Institute'scomplex shall include a Mosque, separate academic, educationaland recreational facilities for both male and female Muslim youth.Boarding and lodging facilities will also be provided to all students(regardless of their color, race, national or ethnic background), atvery low cost, on the premises of the GIIRSS so that they may havea healthy environment favorable to their faith, spiritual, moral,intellectual, and academic growth and development. In order toproduce ideal personalities, special attention will be paid to thereligious, moral and ethical foundation of the students of theGIIRSS.

The GIIRSS is an independent, non-political, non-sectarian, andnon-profitable organization. It is neither affiliated with any otherorganization nor subservient to any state or government. TheInstitute is committed solely to the religious and academicservice/training of the American Muslims in general and the youthin particular. The GIIRSS is intended to offer an alternative religious and educational program through which the American Muslim youth will excel in leaming in a homely atmosphere. It will comply with nondiscriminatory policy of the Revenue Procedure 75-50. Students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin will be eligible for admission to GIIRSS. Also, they will be entitled to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally available to the students of GIIRSS. The Institute will provide a spiritual and intellectual link between the Muslim parents and families scattered throughout the vast continent of America. The GIIRSS aim's at producing Muslim scholars, social scientists and ideal/sound leadership for the noble cause of Islam in the American continent. It will foster Islamic educational programs on the local level.

The GIIRSS will appreciate the moral and financial support of allthe sincere Muslims in developing its religious, academic andeducational programs and achieving its objectives. It makes aneamest appeal to the American Muslim parents to enroll theirchildren in GIIRSS and prepare a well-trained and highly qualifiedMuslim generation that will have to shoulder the task of taking theniission of Islam into the 21st century. A detailed program aboutregistration and requirements for admission, classes, facilities,expenses, and list of staff and faculty will be released very soon,Insha Allah.

Goals and Objectives:

1. To establish a place of worship (Mosque) for Muslims in the Greater Atlanta, GA, area.

2. To impart Islamic knowledge (tafsir, hadith, usul al-hadith, flqh, usul al-fiqh, Islamic history, ilm al-kalam, Islamic philosophy, Arabic language, etc.) along with Secondary School curriculums In future, the program will be expanded to the college and university level with special emphasis on Islamic sciences.

3. To establish a Research Center that will be one of the most important and effective sections of the GIIRSS. It will publish a scholarly journal on a regular basis and produce scholarly works on Islam. It will also translate important traditional works of the Muslim scholars into English. The Research Center will organize seminars, lectures and conferences on various Islamic topics to create general awareness about Islam. Highly qualified scholars will be engaged in the Research wing of the GIIRSS.

4. In order to universalize the program of the GIIRSS, a special department will be established for the study of languages, especially the Oriental ones, such as Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Hausa, and Malay. It will enable the students to have a direct access to the great treasure of Islamic literature written in these languages. It will also help the students to communicate with the people of the world and with the universal Muslim Ummah, spread over the continents. It can also play a major role in the work of Dawah and tabligh.

5. Proper and independent arrangements will be made for Hifz al- Quran (memorization of the Holy Quran) and Tajweed for those interested in it. For all other students, memorization of one Juz'will be one of the requirements every year during the course of their study in the GIIRSS.

6. To arrange a short terin Special Training Program for the new converts so that they are able to live proper Islamic lives and become better citizens. This program will consist of:

Text reading of the Quran with Tajweed.
Memorization of the last Juz of the Quran.
Fundamental teachings of Islam.
Seerah and brief history of Islamic culture and civilization.
Selected study of tafsir and hadith literature.
Special training in Da'wah and other relevant matters of Islamic Shariah.

7. Arrange suminer programs for those students who, because of their busy schedule at their regular schools, colleges and universities, are unable to benefit from the full-time programs of the GIIRSS. During the summer program, the students will have the opportunity to:

Improve their text reading of the Quran.
Have lessons in the history of Islamic culture and civilization.
Acquire knowledge of Islamic fundamentals.
Live for some time in an Islamic environment.

The Project will be completed in four phases,

Insha Allah:

Phase 1: Fatimat al-Zahra Masjid and attendant educational and recreational facilities.

Phase 2: School, playground and Hostel facilities.

Phase 3: Research Center, Library and Department of Languages.

Phase 4: Park and other Recreational facilities.

Refer to the layout.

About the Director of the Institute

Professor Hafiz Abd al-Ghaffar Khan, Ph.D.

Prof Hafiz Abd al-Ghaffar Khan holds a Ph.D. from TempleUniversity, Philadelphia, USA, in Comparative Study of Religionwith special reference to Islamic Philosophy and Theology. He hasbeen awarded Gold Medal by Peshawar University, Pakistan, forhis double M.A. in Islamic Studies and Arabic language. His othereducational credentials are:

Honors in Persian from B.I.S.E, Peshawar, Pakistan
Dars-e Nizami (Traditional Islamic Sciences) from Wifaq al-Madaris Multan and Dar al-Uloom Sarhad, Peshawar, Pakistan.
Hifz and Tajweed (Memorization of the Quran) from Madrasah Hifz al-Quran Zirakki, North Waziristan, and Dar al-Qurra Namakmandi, Peshawar, Pakistan.
Tafsir from Makhzan al-'Uloom, Khanpoor, Rahimyar Khan, and Madrasah Ta'lim al-Islam, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Prof. Khan has worked as director of the Atlanta Dar al-Uloom, al-Farooq Masjid, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from November 1991 tillApril 1996. He also taught at Post-Graduate Level for over ten yearsat Peshawar University, Pakistan. In addition to that, he has vastexperience of teaching Traditional Islamic Sciences and Hifz al-Quran al-Karim wal-Tajweed. He is also well versed in theEnglish, Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Afghani/Pushtu languages.About six of his research articles have been published in nationaland international journals.

Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious and SocialSciences aims at achieving the following:

1. Establish place of worship (Mosque) for the Muslims in the Greater Atlanta area.
2. Impart Islantic knowledge with Secondary School curriculum with future plans of extending to University level.
3. Establish a Research Center with highly qualified Muslim scholars.
4. Establish a linguistic department, for languages such as: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Hausa, and Malay.
5. Establish Hifz al-Quran (memorization of the Holy Quran and Tajweed.
6. Establish program for the new-Muslims to assist them in practicing Islam in their day-to-day life and become better citizens.
7. Conduct Summer program for students unable to attend the Institute on a regular basis. The summer program will include text reading of the Quran, Islamic history, Islamic culture/civilization and fundamentals of Islam.

Georgia Islamic Institute has been duly incorporated as a non-profit religiousorganization under Section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Please send your donations to:
Georgia Islamic Institute of Religious and Social Sciences
P.O. Box 93157
Atlanta, GA 30377-3157, USA
(Note: All donations to GIIRSS are tax-deductible)

For further information please contact:
Dr. Hafiz A. Ghaffar Khan
Phone: (404) 249-9914 or Fax: (404) 249-9531

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