Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy

Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy is an Islamic private day and weekend school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, established in 1996.[1] It has a coeducational kindergarten through 12th grade.[2] It is affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society and is located in a common building, 1501 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122.[3] Coursework includes Islamic studies, the Arabic language, and Quran classes.

In 2004, the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society building received murals and decorative tiling. In 2006, volunteers added more decorative work to the building.[4]

There was a December 2015 vandalism incident involving someone placing a pig's head on the property. Pig heads are especially offensive to Muslims.[5] The school has also been a part of interfaith efforts in Philadelphia, including a Muslim/Jewish interfaith basketball game — played on the Philadelphia 76ers home court at Wells Fargo Center— organized by an area teen as part of his Bar Mitzvah project.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "About Al-Aqsa." Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy. Retrieved on September 26, 2016.
  2. ^ "Home." Al-Aqsa Islamic Academy. Retrieved on September 26, 2016.
  3. ^ "Explore Al Aqsa Islamic Academy in Philadelphia, PA". GreatSchools.org. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. ^ Salisbury, Stephan (2016-01-11). "Interfaith effort works to beautify Philadelphia mosque". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  5. ^ "Since Trump, more slurs, signs and discrimination in Philly". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  6. ^ "Merion teen hosts interfaith basketball game on Sixers' court". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
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39°58′26″N 75°08′29″W / 39.9739°N 75.1413°W / 39.9739; -75.1413