Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) is an Islamic religious youth organization operated by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The organization manages annual summer camps for Muslim youth and provides both online and in-person classes and lectures from Islamic scholars. The organization claims its programs are youth-operated and managed by youth members of the ISNA. ISNA, the parent organization of MYNA, brands itself as a moderate community group. ^{1 2}

Background

Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) is a youth organization founded in 1985 as a project of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to manage youth-led education programs and lectures. The ISNA was founded in 1982 with the help of the Muslim Students Association and received tax-exempt status in 1997. ^{3 4}

MYNA held its first youth camps in 1985 and manages up to six regional camps throughout the United States as of 2024. The organization also claims to have a five-part mission statement aiming to “attain the pleasure of Allah (SWT)” that includes the goal of “promoting Islamic principles grounded in the Qu’ran and Sunnah.” The organization is operated by ISNA’s Youth Development Department. ²

Programs

Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) operates up to six regional annual summer camp programs throughout the United States that provide recreational activities as well as education programs and lectures on Islam. The project claims these programs are meant for “campers to explore the foundations of tazkiyah, or purification of the heart, and the signs, symptoms, and cures of some of the most common and most detrimental spiritual diseases.” ⁵

MYNA also operates an academic program called Hira Intensive, a three-week summer academic program that features classes taught by Islamic scholars. ⁶

1. Ahmed-Ullah, Noreen S., Sam Roe, and Laurie Cohen. “A Rare Look at Secretive Brotherhood in America.” chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune, September 19, 2004. https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/chi-0409190261sep19-story.html
2. “About.” Muslim Youth of North America. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://www.myna.org/about-1
3. “About ISNA.” ISNA. Islamic Society of North America. Accessed July 24, 2023. http://www.isna.net/about-isna/
4. “Islamic Society of North America: An IPT Investigative Report.” Investigative Project on Terrorism. Accessed July 24, 2023. http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/275.pdf
5. “Camps.” Muslim Youth of North America. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://www.myna.org/camps
6. “HIRA Intensive.” Muslim Youth of North America. Accessed July 24, 2023. https://www.myna.org/hira-main