A California school co-founded by a firebrand who once called for an
"intifada" in the U.S. has become the nation's first accredited Muslim
college.
Zaytuna College, which operates out of two rented buildings in
Berkeley, Calif., and had an enrollment of 30 in 2013, was officially
accredited earlier this week by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges—one of the six academic organizations responsible for
authorizing public and private colleges and universities in the United
States. The certification means the school can apply for various federal
and private grants, issue visas to international students and allow
students to transfer credits to or from other accredited schools.
“Five years ago, we introduced an undergraduate liberal arts program
inspired by the idea of restoring the holistic education that had been
offered in the great teaching centers of Islamic civilization,”
co-founder and President Hamza Yusuf stated in an open letter on the
school’s website on Monday. “Today, Zaytuna’s accreditation roots this
vision in a reality recognized within American higher education. It
gives our community its first accredited academic address in the United
States. And we hope, God willing, that there will be more such Muslim
colleges and universities to come.”
“I am curious to know what level degrees Zaytuna will be
allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited and does not
encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts education.”- Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, Center for Islamic Pluralism
The school offers one Bachelor of Arts, in Islamic Law and Theology.
Course offerings include various courses on Islamic law, Introduction to
the Koran, Ethics, Mathematics and History of the United States.
Yusuf, an Islamic Studies advisor at both Stanford University and
University of California Berkeley, is known for being an outspoken
critic of extremism. He drew a death decree from ISIS earlier this year
for condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre, in which workers at a French
satirical magazine were killed by Islamist fanatics for publishing
caricatures of Prophet Mohammad.
But the school's other co-founder, Hatem Bazian, who serves as the
school’s chairman of academic affairs, has been accused of whipping up
anti-Semitism on campuses across the nation through another organization
he helped establish, the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine.
And at an April, 2004, rally in San Francisco in support of the Iraqi
insurgency, Bazian appeared to call for an uprising in the U.S.
"Are you angry?" Bazian shouted to protesters. "Well, we've been
watching intifada in Palestine, we've been watching an uprising in Iraq,
and the question is that what are we doing? How come we don't have an
intifada in this country? …and it's about time that we have an intifada
in this country that change[s] fundamentally the political dynamics in
here. And we know every — they’re gonna say some Palestinian being too
radical — well, you haven't seen radicalism yet!"
Critics say any school associated with Bazian, who is a senior lecturer at University of California Berkeley, is suspect.
“He’s an anti-Israel activist and he uses academia to further his
agenda,” Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel and a human rights
advocate, told FoxNews.com.
Neither Bazian nor other Zaytuna officials responded to multiple requests for comment.
Some critics who monitor higher education say the idea of a
Muslim-centric school is fine in principle. But they are wary of
Bazian's links to Students for Justice in Palestine.
"The blend between education and religion is nothing new, Caleb
Bonham, editor-in-chief of higher education blog CampusReform.Org, told
FoxNews.com. “College is supposed to be a time where the free exchange
of ideas is explored. America, throughout our history, has encouraged
diversity of thought and the freedom to worship as one desires.
"But Students for Justice in Palestine has proven itself to be an
anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli organization since its founding," he added.
"Our campuses must remain bastions of freedom of expression. I hope the
founders uphold the principles of freedom that are inherent to all men
and women."
The school, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008,
received more than $11 million in contributions and grants from 2011 to
2012. However, specific donors were not listed on 990 forms filed with
the IRS and the school's website only mentions 12,000 donors without any
further detail.
The Zaytuna College website details a $7 million plan to build a new
campus, a project that includes the recent purchase of a new building,
but was put on hold until the accreditation came. According to officials
for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, any academic
institution that gains accreditation becomes qualified to distribute
federal aid to its students.
“Zaytuna may elect to do this, though they are also seeking for their
students to graduate without owing debt,” Richard Winn, senior vice
president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission said in a
statement to FoxNews.com.
While Zaytuna and its students may benefit from the accreditation,
the fact that the school offers only one degree program has some
questioning the decision.
“I am surprised that Zaytuna College has received accreditation from
the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,” Stephen Suleyman
Schwartz, executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, said
in a statement to FoxNews.com. “I am curious to know what level degrees
Zaytuna will be allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited
and does not encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts
education.”