Community/School Characteristics and History

In the late 1970s, a handful of Muslim brethren, residing primarily in South Broward and North Dade areas of South Florida, came together to provide Islamic education for children and adults who desired such religious knowledge. Initially, these small classes were held in the homes of said brethren and tutoring was confined to the teaching of Arabic to enable students to read the Arabic texts of the Quran, without necessarily understanding the meaning. Some of the basic principles and practices of Islam were also addressed in these religious programs.

By 1982, because of prevailing and projected demand for Islamic knowledge, the administrators of these programs felt it necessary to formalize the program and this led to the registration of a not-for-profit corporation based in South Florida, viz., Nuri-Al-Islam of South Florida, Inc., on January 20, 1983. A subsequent name change (in effect a spelling change) to Nur-Ul-Islam of South Florida, Inc., was effected. For several years, thereafter, the programs continued in the homes of members of the community. During this period the members provided financial donations to enable NUI to purchase a suitable parcel of land to establish more permanent and more appropriate premises to support the long terms needs of the organization.

In November1989, NUI purchased a 4-acre parcel of land at the corner of 106 Avenue and SW 59 th Street in Cooper City, South Florida, to construct an Islamic center of learning. In 1991 the by-laws of NUI were comprehensively revised and the aims and objectives of the organization were amended to include the following: 

• To establish the tenets of Islam in accordance with the Holy Quran
• To educate Muslims and non-Muslims about the teachings of Islam using all halal (lawful) means including, but not limited to, classes, literature, magazines, newsletters, discussions, radio and television programs
• To foster unity, goodwill and brotherhood among Muslims and to cultivate tolerance and understanding among all people regardless of their race, religion, color, gender, age, or beliefs
• To establish facilities of learning and worship such as centers, mosques, schools and libraries 
•  To establish and administer a special fund to aid the poor and needy
•  To operate as a not-for-profit organization in conformity with the laws of the United States of America, the State of Florida, and consistent with the provisions in the by-laws 

Following the acquisition of the parcel of land, and reflecting the immediate needs of the organization, the design and construction of the first of several planned buildings were undertaken. The initial construction, completed in 1991, met two pressing needs of the community – a meeting place for social and religious activities for the young and adult members of the community, and a place to conduct religious classes.

NUI’s governing body. This plan envisaged that NUI’s future development would be comprised of two components:

• Religious, (part time) educational and social programs for all members (young and adult) of the community
• A full-time (Pre-K through 12th Grade) school program incorporating religious and secular curricula

By 1996, many elements of these first components had been successfully implemented, but further progress was dependent upon the construction of additional buildings. 

Also in 1996, the administrators of NUI registered a separate corporation, Nur-Ul-Islam Academy, Inc. (NUIA) to establish and administer the full-time school program specified above. NUIA, which has NUI as its sole stockholder, is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors and a four-member Executive Management team.

NUI and NUIA agreed to share the 4-acre site owned by NUI as follows:

NUI agreed to meet all major capital costs (land and permanent structures) relating to both components specified above and all operating costs not directly related to the Academy. NUIA agreed to meet all operating costs directly relating to the Academy.

In 1996 two portables units, comprising five classrooms and an office, were leased from GE Capital and installed on the 4-acre site to house the initial complement of students of the Academy. NUIA formally opened its doors to these elementary school students in September 1996.

At the end of the first semester (i.e. the fall of 1996) the student complement stood at 33 and the teaching and administrative staff totaled 6. These numbers have grown steadily and now stand at 409 students and 49 faculty members. During this period NUIA has expanded its program to include Pre-K through high school with comprehensive religious and secular curricula.

In 1998, two additional portable units were purchased to create additional classrooms. A major design and construction effort commenced to ensure that adequate and permanent premises would be available to meet the future needs of the two organizations. The proposed site plan identified the need for:

• A library building – completed
• An Elementary School building – completed
• A two-story Secondary School building – completed
• An Administration building – completed
• A multi-purpose hall – completed
• Parking facilities – completed
• Sports and recreation facilities – partly completed
• A mosque – construction in progres

Since capital costs are met through donations, construction progress is very much a function of the inflow of funds from donors. Nevertheless, the first building (Library) was completed in 1992 and this serves as a temporary mosque and meeting place. In July 2000, NUI purchased two parcels of land (1.0 acre and 1.3 acres) located opposite its 4-acre site on SW 59 th Street. A four-bedroom house rests on the 1.3-acre parcel and currently serves as temporary accommodation for new recruits to NUIA’s teaching staff. Construction of a sports field on these premises was completed. Additional plans to explore the possibility of accommodating the preschool in the adjacent facility have been delayed due to zoning and annexation requirements.

The elementary school building was completed and occupied in March 2000. The Administration building was completed in October 2002. With continued growth in enrollment for the academic year 2010, the school installed an additional modular unit of three classrooms to cope with the growing demands for placement in the institution. This alleviated some of the difficulty for the time being but created the urgency to complete the construction of the multi-purpose building, which was subsequently completed in June 2013.