Community Celebrates New Mosque-Centered Campus Near Austin Amid Islamophobia

Islamic school aims to teach graduates to “fully live the values of Islam” and “play a leading role in American society,”

Renaissance Academy’s 19-acre Leander complex, soon to be endowed as a waqf under the National Islamic Trust (NAIT), is drawing both support and controversy as it aims to foster Islamic values and community engagement in Texas.

The Mosque-Centered Islamic Campus is being developed North of Austin, and the land will be handed over for NAIT Waqf control

The sprawling Islamic complex is planning to open in the Austin suburb of Leander – before being transferred to a national Islamic trust.

The Dallas Express reported that the complex will be handed over to the national Islamic trust that was once identified in federal terrorism prosecutions tied to Hamas financing in 2004. It said that Renaissance Academy, an Islamic school aiming to teach graduates to “fully live the values of Islam” and “play a leading role in American society,” is planning a new 19-acre campus in rural Leander, according to its website.

It has already raised $3.3 million and closed on the property.

The paper said school officials plan to donate the campus through a “waqf,” an irrevocable religious endowment, to a national Islamic trust such as the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT).

“Once the expansion project is complete and the real estate assets are free and clear of any loans, we will WAQF these under NAIT or alike organization,” the school’s website reads.

While some made Islamophobic comments, members of the Muslim community welcomed the center. On social media, Malo N Ok said Islamic centres are a physical Place (an Institution or Fortress), really called a ribāṭ —a structure—a fortified outpost, monastery-like complex, or garrison where defenders lived, trained, prayed, and watched the border.

“Over time, especially in North Africa and al-Andalus, many ribāṭs evolved into religious lodges or Sufi centers, blending defense with worship and teaching. These are a foothold in our lands to conquer and submit all to Islam,” write Ok.

Dalia Amer said for those unaware, the US Constitution allows individuals to worship freely (or not worship at all), and protects religious institutions from state control, and encourages respectful engagement among different communities by ensuring equal rights under the law.

Stacia Ashmore added that a Waqf is an irrevocable, permanent dedication of property or assets under Islamic law for religious, pious, or charitable purposes, with the intention that the benefits serve the community in perpetuity.

“Once established, the assets (land, buildings, or cash) cannot be sold, transferred, or inherited, as they are considered to belong to God (Allah),” wrote Ashmore.

Responding to a caustic comment, American Muslim Aisha Zain said: “My freedoms don’t end where your comfort begins. I’m an American Muslim. And only violent if I have to be,” adding that “self-defence is human nature and recognized for all religions and cultures and for the law.

According to The Dallas Express, news about the school was published in a promotional video featuring the new campus, produced by Amy Mek of the Rise Align Ignite Reclaim Foundation, who posted it (See main picture and above).

“What the hell is going on in Texas? You’re losing the state to Islamists,” wrote national commentator Mark Levin in response to Mek’s post.

The Islamic school will include a mosque, division-level buildings for preschool and K-12 education, an auditorium, an athletic center, track fields, and other “essential amenities.”

“The envisioned campus will holistically cater to our community’s spiritual, academic, and extracurricular needs,” the school website reads.

School officials decided on a central location due to the region’s northward growth, according to the website.

“However, the scarcity of shovel-ready land with readily available utilities within our budget posed a challenge during our property search,” the website reads.

The location at 650 Private Road 920 provides access to both western and eastern communities and offers sufficient flexibility for future development. School officials said it is in a “secure and welcoming neighborhood.”

Moving Forward

Once the new campus is complete, the property will be registered under the Austin-based 501(c) (3) Renaissance Education Foundation, according to the school’s website.

“When we complete the build-up of the new facility, the assets will be WAQF under a national organization such as NAIT,” the website reads.

For a waqf, the property needs to be “free and clear of any loans,” which the Islamic school completed in 2020, according to the website. Officials plan to make the endowment after the expansion.

“If a mosque is part of the NAIT network, its leaders may not change the use of the property or do things like “permit an un-Islamic activity.”

“In addition to its waqf role, NAIT develops financial vehicles that are compatible with both the Shari’ah (Islamic law) and the American law,” the website reads.

“No US Court or US government agency has ever accused, or charged NAIT for any crimes, wrongdoing, or any unlawful activities,” the NAIT website reads.

“Islamophobic organizations, right-wing websites, and pundits, along with a handful of attention-seeking public officials continue to tarnish and malign NAIT by false attribution and fear mongering.”