Roughly one in every two Muslim college students in the US state of California have experienced harassment or discrimination, according to a recently published survey.

The report from the California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying (CPHB) includes responses from 720 students at 87 public and private colleges and universities across California, which found a 10 percent spike in Islamophobia faced by students since 2020.

The October 7, 2023, Hamas-led cross-border attack, as well as Israel’s onslaught on besieged Gaza, have exacerbated Islamophobia on campuses as well as “anti-Palestinian hate, and anti-Arab racism, leaving Muslim students feeling targeted and unsupported,” CAIR said in a statement.

Student-led anti-war protests that erupted nationwide on campuses in the wake of the escalating death toll have been repeatedly met with an effort to stamp them out or otherwise curtail the demonstrations.

“This past year has been extremely traumatizing for college students of varying ethnicities within the Islamic faith—all because they valiantly chose to stand up and humanize the plight of Palestinians, who have suffered from over 75 years of oppression, dehumanization, and war,” CPHB Director Osman Khan said in a statement.

“These students should not have to suffer physical reprisals, nor fear possible academic and future employment repercussions, for simply practicing their constitutionally protected rights of petition, assembly, and speech,” he added.

‘Not a global institution’

University of Southern California student Summer said many Muslim students have felt isolated within their college communities, particularly those who have lost friends and family in Israel’s war, which has claimed the lives of more than 43,000 Palestinians.

“Some students, while in class, have received (the) devastating news of losing loved ones in Gaza. They not only mourn their families but also face the silence and lack of empathy from their own community. Where are the statements of solidarity, safe spaces for healing, or meaningful support from the administration for those grieving innocent lives?” she asked rhetorically.

“We cannot claim to be a global institution of higher learning while neglecting the global realities of our students. We cannot say we stand for justice when we turn a blind eye to injustice within our own campus,” she added.

Source: TRT World

The First Muslim Institution of Higher Education in America

American Islamic College’s undergraduate program, well rounded and grounded in a solid Liberal Arts & Science framework, prepares the students for more than just a career; it prepares the students for a life of purpose and impact. Careers in government, education, international relations, law enforcement, foreign service, diversity and inclusion, translation, social service administration, chaplaincy, spiritual care and religious leadership, military, international business or relief work, further graduate or professional study and many other fields will be within reach with an AIC bachelor’s degree. Statistics show that these occupations will continue to be in high demand in a changing world.

AIC is now just one of two independent Muslim colleges in America that have achieved academic accreditation on their own merits.

History

American Islamic College was incorporated in September 1981 as a private, not-for-profit, four-year institution of higher education meant to offer especially strong programs in Islamic Studies and the Arabic Language. In November 1982, AIC received authority from the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) to operate as a postsecondary institution. The search for suitable premises led to the purchase of its present property in March 1983.

The College first opened its doors to students in September 1983 and in May 1984, IBHE bestowed degree-granting authority on AIC for the B.A. in Arabic Studies and the B.A. in Islamic Studies.

Beginning in 2009, American Islamic College embarked upon a new phase of significant reorganization and the installation of a reformed governance structure and a new administration. In 2010, the campus buildings and grounds underwent extensive renovation and remodeling. It was then that AIC reemerged as a revitalized resource of the Muslim community, hosting two consecutive international conferences on Islam in America, organizing public lectures and offering a variety of non-credit and non-degree classes in subjects such as Islamic History, Islamic Art, and Arabic. In the Fall of 2013, after being granted IBHE operating authority once again, the College reopened its doors to undergraduate students and—for the first time—graduate students.

American Islamic College was granted Candidacy Status for Accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) in February 2020 and Initial Accreditation in March 2024.

Vision

Welcoming students of all faiths and backgrounds, American Islamic College (AIC) is a Chicago-based institution of higher learning grounded in Islamic values and steeped in Islam’s rich and diverse intellectual and cultural traditions. AIC promotes appreciation for the scope and richness of Islamic history and civilization both in and beyond the classroom by means of significant research, impactful teaching, and informative public events highlighting Islam’s intellectual, artistic, and cultural expressions. Through rigorous scholarship and a commitment to social justice, the collective good, civic involvement, interfaith understanding, and intercultural engagement, AIC prepares students to become critical thinkers, visionary leaders, and responsible global citizens.

Mission

To be a fully accredited university that will serve the diverse American Muslim community and the nation as a whole in perpetuity; to offer rigorous and professionally sound programs that prepare students to take up educational, leadership, and policy-making roles in American society; to serve as a resource for American institutions and individuals seeking academically anchored and culturally competent knowledge about Islam and Muslims.

Academic Programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies is a four-year sequence of instructional coursework that culminates in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. The Islamic Studies component of the Program features content and pedagogy commensurate with the disciplines of Islamic and Religious Studies, Qur’anic and Hadith studies, Islamic legal theory, classical Islamic theology and philosophy, Islamic spirituality, and allied social science, economic and political theories.

Students must also fulfill standard Bachelor’s level requirements in general education, imparting a solid foundation in the humanities as well as the social and physical sciences. Upon completion, graduates will be prepared to pursue academic, occupational and career options, which are appropriately aligned with this field of study. The Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies Program requires 120 semester hours.

• Master of Arts in Islamic Studies

The MA degree program is designed to provide students with a rigorous background in both traditional and analytical approaches to Islamic Studies. The program offers two distinct areas of concentration: Islamic Theology and Islam and Global Studies. The Islamic Theology concentration will train students in such disciplines as Qur’anic studies, Hadith studies, Islamic Jurisprudence (al-Fiqh), and Islamic Spirituality. The Islam and Global Studies concentration will focus on Islamic history, international studies, and critical theory. Students in both tracks will take the same core courses, thus ensuring that students acquire a well-rounded foundation in both areas.

MDiv students, or MA students who wish to go on for the Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies must select the Islamic Theology concentration.

All MA students are expected to complete 36 credit hours. Students at the graduate level are required to take 21 credit hours as part of the core requirements and 15 credit hours in their concentration. As part of the MA program, students are required to complete a MA Thesis which is counted as a 3 credit 500-level course within the chosen area of concentration.

• Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies

The Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies, which composes our Muslim Chaplaincy Program, is a 72-credit degree program designed specifically for students who wish to become professional and credentialed Muslim leaders, spiritual caregivers, or chaplains. AIC’s MDIV curriculum in Islamic Studies lays the groundwork for learning the foundational Islamic knowledge that equips students with training in fields—such as religious history, theology, scriptural studies, Islamic spiritual counseling, and ethics of professional practice—that parallel for Muslim chaplains much of the seminary or rabbinical school training that many future chaplains from other traditions undergo as part of their spiritual formation and preparation to serve as faith representatives in public settings.

AIC’s Muslim Chaplaincy Program curriculum also fulfills national standards for equivalencies in religious training and leadership set by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, should Muslim chaplaincy students seek this form of certification in the future. Additionally, AIC’s Muslim Chaplaincy Program partners with equivalent graduate programs in the network of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools that allows cross course registration and the expansion of interfaith experience that Muslim students will need as future chaplains in secular and multi-faith public settings.

Finally, Muslim Chaplaincy Program students are required to complete Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), Field Education, as well as courses related to counseling, spiritual care, and applied leadership skills as a part of their holistic preparation to serve as Muslim faith leaders in multi-religious and/or secular public institutions such as hospitals, prisons, the military, and universities.

AIC’s Master of Divinity in Islamic Studies program has affiliate status with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

Contacts

• Address: 640 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613, US
• Phone: +1 (773) 281-4700
• Email: info@aicusa.edu
• Website: https://aicusa.edu/