American Muslims have established many religious and academic institutions in America, specializing in studying Islam and Islamic Sciences, its civilization, and history. We recognize that religious education and guidance in the West requires a type of scholarship that, in some ways, differs from the scholarship available in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East. In most Muslim communities, these chall
enges are being faced primarily with the guidance of locally trained scholars. In matters of religion, Muslim communities in the West have come to rely for religious leadership on Imams and scholars whose training is mainly rooted in the cultural and educational environment of their countries of origin. IUM was first established as an academic institution for higher Islamic education in 2007, with Dr. Waleed Meneese as its Vice President. This humble effort attracted immense interest from the youth hungry for authentic Islamic knowledge and training. The student roster rose as hundreds of young men and women thronged to register for undergraduate and graduate schooling. In 2013, the Islamic University of Minnesota reincorporated with Dr. Waleed as the President of the Board of Directors and Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Hyder Aziz as its Vice-President and Executive Director. IUM is registered as a nonprofit organization in Minnesota.
