The Mishkah Islamic University of North America is an online university that offers degrees and courses in Islamic history and theology. ^{1 2}

History and Leadership

The Mishkah Islamic University of North America was founded in 2004 as the Sharia Academy of America by Muslim academics who claimed to advocate for introducing “a credible institution that would enable students, particularly in the West, to study Islam intensively at an academic level.” ¹

The university’s student handbook claims to offer courses that provide “proper and authentic Islamic knowledge” based on Sunni Muslim principles. ³

The university’s president and board chair is Salah Al-Sawy, an Egyptian academic who has previously taught at universities in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. ⁴ Al-Sawy is also the co-founder and secretary general of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in North America, a controversial Islamic theological group associated with the “Salafi Movement” ⁵ branch of the Sunni Islamic faith. The group has previously issued “fatwa” Islamic religious rulings on policy issues including COVID-19 vaccines, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), reading the Qur’an via mobile devices and cryptocurrency. ⁶

Academics

As of October 2024, Mishkah Islamic University of North America is not an accredited institution of higher education, but claims to have “begun preparations for the process needed to apply for accreditation” with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. ²

It offers undergraduate courses in both Arabic and English, with English-language courses costing $35 more per credit hour than their Arabic-language equivalents. ⁷ The required credit hours for Mishkah’s English-language Bachelor of Science in Islamic studies costs $10,795, while its Arabic-language bachelor in Islamic and Arabic Studies costs $6,350. ⁷

For Arabic-speaking students, Mishkah offers master’s degrees and doctorates in Islamic law, theology, polity, and culture and the Arabic language. ³

In 2023, Mishkah reported collecting $475,605 in tuition and fees from students. ⁸

Controversy

Omar Shahin previously served as a board member of the Mishkah Islamic University of North America from 2012 through 2014. ⁸ He was also the former Imam of the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT), who’s previous director Wa’el Hamza Julaidan would go on to be one of the original founding members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda. ^{9 10 11}

Shahin has been accused of previously raising funding for local organizations that allegedly had ties to terrorist organizations including the al-Qaeda-associated Global Relief Foundation and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. ^{11 12 13 14}

In 2015, local government officials in Outremont, Quebec cancelled Mishkah’s reservation to hold an event at a local community center due to several of the planned speakers being Shahin as well as Mishkah University president and board chair Salah Al-Sawy. Both were accused of being “imams with fundamentalist views” and “religious radicals” while then-Outremont mayor Cinq-Mars claimed the community center “shouldn’t ever rent out space for religious or political events.” ^{15 16}

1. “Our Vision and Mission.” Mishkah University. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://mishkahu.com/about/mission-vision/.
2. “Accreditation.” Mishkah University. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://mishkahu.com/academics/accreditation/.
3. “MISHKAH UNIVERSITY ISLAMIC STUDIES IN ENGLISH STUDENT HANDBOOK 2024-2025.” Mishkah University, 2024. https://rvx006.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Student-Handbook-2024_2025.pdf.
4. “Dr. Salah Assawy: President of Islamic University of North America.” Mishkah University. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://mishkahu.com/about/dr-salah-assawy/.
5. Ryan Mauro. “Influential U.S. Imam, Jurist: Hamas is Not a Terrorist Group.” Islamist Watch. August 7, 2014. Accessed February 12, 2024 https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/43621/influential-us-imam-jurist-hamas-is-not
6. “Declarations.” Assembly of Muslim Jurists in North America. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.amjaonline.org/declarations/.
7. “Tuition and Fees.” Mishkah University. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://mishkahu.com/admissions/tuition-and-fees/.
8. “Islamic University of North America Inc .” ProPublica. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/141948738.
9. Meyer, Josh. “‘Big’ al Qaeda Suspect Held.” Los Angeles Times, September 7, 2002. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-07-na-terror7-story.html.
10. Neubauer, Chuck, and Lisa Getter. “Islamic-American Nonprofit Groups Face Increased Scrutiny.” Orlando Sentinel, October 26, 2018. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2001/11/18/islamic-american-nonprofit-groups-face-increased-scrutiny/.
11. “Holy Land Foundation Convictions.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, November 25, 2008. https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2008/november/hlf112508.
12. “Boim v. Quranic Literacy Institute, 127 F. Supp. 2D 1002 (N.D. Ill. 2001).” Justia Law. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/127/1002/2512250/.
13. Wichner, David, “Mosque aids group accused of Hamas tie,” Arizona Daily Star, November 18, 2001.
14. Lisa Getter, Chuck Neaubauer and Robert J. Lopez. “Islamic American Nonprofits Face Increased Scrutiny in U.S.,” Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2001. http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/04/news/mn-79/2
15.  Kaminer, Michael. “Why Was Muslim Graduation Banned from Hasidic Montreal?” The Forward, February 19, 2015. https://forward.com/opinion/215103/why-was-muslim-graduation-banned-from-hasidic-mont/.
16. Mertl, Steve. “Officials Walking a Fine Line between Fear of Terrorism End and Intolerance in Quebec.” Yahoo! News, February 17, 2015. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/where-does-fear-of-terrorism-end-and-intolerance-172536665.html.