You're paying the bill

Both the Star Tribune and 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS published a story about Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, or TIZA.

Azad Zaman is a Muslim Imam, and the executive director of the school. The Minnesota school is sponsored by the California based organization, Islamic Relief USA. TIZA receives state and federal funding while allegedly functioning as an Islamic school. Zaman claims that the school does not violate state or federal regulations concerning separation of church and state.

"The questions came after substitute teacher Amanda Getz taught at TIZA last month and told the Star Tribune about things she observed that day that shocked her.

"I've been in a lot of schools and I've never been in a school where they had washing rituals, or they had prayer, or where they had a room where you had to take your shoes off," Getz said.

"It is most likely that this substitute teacher was sadly mistaken," said Zaman.

"We're required under the federal guidelines to allow students to pray when they wish to do so. And as Muslim students, they're allowed to pray around 1:30 p.m., so we allow them to do that," Zaman explained.

"TIZA requires all students to learn Arabic as a second language, as well as English."

"State law requires the school to fly an American flag during school hours, however no flag flies outside of TIZA Academy."

"Zaman told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he didn’t know how to work the flagpole."

I don't really want to pay the taxes to support legitimate public schools. I certainly don't want to pay for the operating expenses of an Islamic mosque.