Latest news with #OmarIbnAlKhattabAcademy
CBC
24-07-2025
- General
- CBC
First standalone Islamic school in south Edmonton breaks ground
An Edmonton community is one step closer to achieving its dream after breaking ground Wednesday at the city's first standalone Islamic school on the south side. The Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Academy's future facility, spanning nearly 40 acres at 8615 41st Ave., surrounded by canola fields and farmland, is slated to open its doors in September 2026. "The need is huge," said Dr. Osama Namaruish, president of the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Centre, as cranes and bulldozers rumbled behind him. "There are other Islamic schools, mostly in the north side. The waiting time is in the thousands." With 120 students, the academy's current independent K-9 school operates out of the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Centre (OIAC) on Parson's Road. Other Islamic schools in south Edmonton operate out of leased spaces, warehouses and mosques, but this will be the first purpose-built school in the area, an OIAC spokesperson told CBC. Plans for the future $30 million academy include 22 classrooms, sports fields, a prayer hall for 300 worshippers, a commercial kitchen and a community centre. The money to build the new facility is being raised through a fundraising campaign and private donations. "We want to see a proper school that has proper sport fields that is welcoming to the community, Muslims and non-Muslims," Namaruish said. "It's a place where people will socialize, people will meet, some interfaith dialogue will happen and people will talk to each other and understand each other." According to OIAC, more than 5,000 Muslim students live south of 23rd Avenue. Among them is Daniyaal Saeed, 13, whose commute time to the Parsons Road location in heavy traffic can take as long as 30 minutes each way. But for Saeed, it's worth it. "We got to learn about our religion, our history, everything," Saeed told CBC News. "Everybody knows each other. Everybody's kind to each other. They don't hate on religions, because we all have the same religion." Coun. Keren Tang said the new school will also help to alleviate the pressures of population growth in Ward Karhiio. "It responds to a bit of the growth pressure here. It responds to some of the school challenges that we're talking about and I think it's going to add to the overall community," Teng said.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
New Islamic school breaks ground in south Edmonton
Shovels hit the ground for a ceremony marking the future site of a new Islamic school in south Edmonton on Wednesday. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Academy (OIAA) will begin construction in the empty field located on 86 Street and 41 Avenue. 'It feels great to be here and to start the real work to move it from paper to action,' Dr. Osama Namaruish, with OIAA, told CTV News Edmonton after the ground-breaking ceremony. New Islamic school ground-breaking ceremony in Edmonton A ground-breaking ceremony was held in south Edmonton for a new Islamic school, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Academy, on July 23, 2025. (Dave Mitchell/CTV News Edmonton) Namaruish said he has been waiting for this moment for five years and that the school will be the biggest of its kind in the city's south side, with a mosque built on site. 'It feels (good) to have a place where interfaith can happen, where they can communicate to neighbours around them and they can show the real picture of Islam and Muslims to the rest of the community of Edmonton,' he said, adding they are expecting to start with 300 students in the first phase of opening and they hope to grow that number to more than a thousand. New Islamic school in south Edmonton Construction will begin for a new Islamic school in south Edmonton. A ground-breaking ceremony took place on July 23, 2025. (Dave Mitchell/CTV News Edmonton) Ward Karhiio councillor Keren Tang spoke during the ceremony citing a shortage of K-9 and high schools in the area. 'When I look around, yes, there is still quite a bit of farmland, but there's much potential for growth, for development in this part of the city,' Tang said. 'And I appreciate your vision that you want to build a school and a community close to where people live.' Namaruish said the school will welcome everyone to join the centre and learn more about Islam and to start that dialog of understanding. 'We need to be stronger through our diversity, to build the community here, to make Canada a stronger country together, (and) we can do that.' OIAA said they hope to have construction complete by the end of next summer and be open for the 2026 school year in September. The first phase of the school will be K-9. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dave Mitchell and Nahreman Issa
