New Muslim college welcomes freshmen in California
Imam Zaid Shakir, rear, lectures during Islamic History Class at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Amid the uproar over the proposed mosque near the former World Trade Center, a new Islamic college opened its doors in California with plans to educate a new generation of Muslim American leaders. Zaytuna College in Berkeley is a small school with just five faculty members and 15 students in its inaugural freshman class, but it has big ambitions: It wants to be the first accredited Muslim academic institution in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)By Terence CheaAssociated Press Writer / September 9, 2010
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BERKELEY, Calif.—Amid the uproar over the proposed mosque near ground zero in New York, a new Islamic college recently opened its doors in California with plans to educate a new generation of Muslim-American leaders.
Founded by three prominent Islamic scholars, Zaytuna College in Berkeley is a small school with just five faculty members and 15 students in its inaugural freshman class. The school wants to become the country's first fully accredited Muslim academic institution.
Zaytuna College is opening at a time when fierce opposition to the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near the former World Trade Center has