To get a listing of all of the Islamic Schools in North America see the MSA's website: http://www.msa-national.org/.

Encourage all schools to update the website online so that information is current.

Services
Most of the services (educational, financial and telecommunications) listed below are owned and operated by Muslims. They are provided for your information . If any of our schools have information about other services which they highly recommend, based upon their experience, please send me the information in the email form provided below.

TAKAFUL: The Islamic Alternative to Insurance
Takaful is the Islamic alternative to conventional insurance and is deep-rooted in the Islamic principle of mutual help for the benefit of the community. The system of Takaful is described in the Holy Quran (5:2) by the concept of ÒtaÕawoonÓ or mutual assistance. Takaful literally means Ôjoint guarantee.Õ

Takaful Members pay premiums to the Takaful Fund in exchange for protection against losses due to specified risks. The following coverage are available: property and casualty, business owners, professional liability, public and third-party liability, equipment, machinery, inventory, Mosques, and Islamic Schools.

For more information contact: Omar Clark Fisher, Box 3201, Wayne, New Jersey 07470, telephone: (201)942-5009, fax: 942-4838, website: www.takafulusa.com.

Muslim Communication Network Program
Muslim Communication Network Program was developed by BFIC (Building Futures in Communication).

BFIC is the first nationally licensed, Muslim owned and operated, telecommunications company. BFIC uses GTE long distance carrier and rebates 10% of all of your long distance telephone charges to your Muslim community each month at no charge to you.

For more information contact: Dr. M. Mahdi, 7060 Miramar Road, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 1-800-411-HAJJ (4255).

Legacy International: Preparing a new generation of Muslim youth leaders
Legacy International is a non-profit educational organization foundÔed in 1979. Legacy International launched, in 1993, INTER-COMMUNITY DIALOGUE. This innovative training prepares Muslim youth to improve relations within the Muslim community and to change the way non-Muslims view Islam. Participants attend a three-week training program at LegacyÕs Global Youth Village in Bedford, Virginia.

For more information contact: Ahmed Abdur Rashid, Founder President or Salma D. Friedman, Inter-Community Dialogue Coordinator, Route 4, Box 265, Bedford, VA 24523, (540)2975982, Fax 297-1860.

TUITION MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Many of our schools have reported problems in having to deal with tuition collection. It is an arduous administrative task and increases with the size of the school. If any school boards, administration or Muslim Parent-Teachers Association have recommendations or success stories on how to deal with the collection please inform me so it can included it on the web page.

Several Islamic Schools use the services of SMART. There is no cost to the school. There is a nominal administrative fee of $30 per family for automatic deduction or $35 annually for the coupon-payment method.

SMART TUITION MANAGEMENT SERVICES
95 Wall Street, Suite 2300, New York, NY 10003-4299
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CALL 1-800-SMART-08

1. Your school decides the tuition collection months.
Not all families have to be on the same payment schedule.

2. Parents decide on the payment method:
(a) payment is made by check or money-order using a convenient payment coupon,
or (b) payments are made by automatic deduction from bank accounts.

3. Your school decides on the type of "past due" letters.

4. Your school decides on how to handle late fees.
SMART advises charging a late fee whenever a full payment is missed by more than 10 days. Schools can choose the amount of the late fee or waive such fees entirely. Any late fees collected by SMART will be returned as income to your school.

5. Your school receives tuition payments from SMART three times a month.

6. Your school receives comprehensive reports every 10 days.

7. Your school can make changes (adjustments due to hardship situations, tuition assistance, and other special cases) at any time.

8. SMART handles parent and school issues separately.