In a Sharia-adherent event that has attracted considerable attention, the Islamic Al-Mustapha Girl Scouts recently held their annual Takleef Celebration at Great Revelations Academy, a private Islamic school in Dearborn, Michigan. The controversial school has connections to staunch supporters of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime. The ceremony, deeply rooted in Shiite Islamic tradition, marks the coming of age for young Muslim girls, imposing upon them the rigorous observance of Sharia law, including the controversial practice of wearing the hijab. The troubling implications of such Islamic ceremonies reinforce a doctrine of female subjugation and raise profound concerns about the integration of Muslim communities into Western societies.

Ceremony Overview

The Takleef Celebration Event is a pivotal moment in the lives of young Shiite Muslim girls. It signifies their obligation to start observing Islamic practices, such as fasting, praying, and dressing modestly (often, girls are given their first chador, a full-length body covering) from as young as nine years old.

The event underscores the adherence to Sharia law, even in Western settings, compelling these young girls to take on responsibilities that emphasize their role in preventing male temptation through their attire. This practice not only sexualizes children at a tender age but also places an undue burden on them, aligning with a broader Islamic perspective that sees women primarily as guardians of virtue through modesty.

In Western nations, women who adopt Sharia practices are a threat, as their commitment lies in the propagation of Islamic law. This is of particular concern to Dearborn, known as the Arab capital of North America, where Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, Iraqi, and Yemeni communities are concentrated. The city claims the highest American Muslim population per capita, primarily of Shiite Muslim denomination, and is also home to the nation’s largest mosque. Arabic signs adorn the facades of restaurants and businesses. Even within Dearborn’s public schools, all meat served is Halal—a strategic means employed by Muslim minorities to gradually introduce elements of Sharia into the broader non-Muslim majority of the West.

The Hijab: Symbol of Oppression

Contrary to Islamic and left-wing narratives that frame the hijab as a symbol of cultural identity or religious devotion, the ceremony and teachings at the Great Revelations Academy utilize it as a means of oppressing young girls. The event instills in young girls the belief that their values and social responsibility hinge on their ability to conform to strict Sharia dress codes designed to mitigate male desire. This perspective is further reinforced by Islamic scriptures, which dictate the covering of women as a preventive measure against potential abuse, essentially normalizing a culture of victim-blaming.

The Quran itself commands women to cover themselves to the extent that they are no longer capable of provoking temptation, and if they do not, they are considered fair game to be “abused.” As Robert Spencer explains, “It is not a cultural custom as some purport; it’s a religious edict.”

(Quran 24:31) And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only what is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment except to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack desire, or children who know nothing of women’s nakedness. And do not let them stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide from their adornment. And turn to Allah together, O believers, so that you may succeed.

(Quran 33:59) O prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their veils close around them. It will be better so that they may be recognized and not molested.

The Great Revelations Academy’s Radical Islamic Ties

Investigations into the Great Revelations Academy reveal a concerning foundation rooted in Islamic extremism. Founded in 2015 by fervent supporters of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a key figure in the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and considered the spiritual leader of Hezbollah, the academy’s ideological underpinnings raise alarming questions about the education and values being imparted to young Muslims in America.

The U.S. considered Fadlallah responsible for the bombing of multinational forces in Beirut in October 1983, in which 241 U.S. Marines and 56 French paratroopers were killed in two explosions. He was designated a terrorist by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Fadlallah hated with a vengeance the United States government and Israel. He regularly praised the terror attacks that killed Israeli citizens. He was known as an enthusiastic supporter of suicide bombings against Israel. Fadlallah wished that the state of Israel would cease to exist.

Fadlallah’s support for terrorist actions and organizations underscores the troubling nature of the academy’s association with his teachings. Furthermore, Clarion Project reports that statements from the academy’s founders, such as Fouad Bayoun, explicitly express their dedication to spreading Fadlallah’s message in the United States.

Principal Sheila Bazzi-Charara has openly declared the academy’s adherence to Fadlallah’s philosophy, mission, and vision, further solidifying its ties to extremism. Additionally, collaborations with organizations like the Qaim Project, led by Sheikh Mohammad Ayad, demonstrate the academy’s alignment with extremist ideologies.

Ayad’s Qaim Project glorifies Hezbollah and Hamas, advocating for a Shiite-Sunni jihadist alliance against the West. The project’s endorsement of the Iranian regime and its anti-American worldview further exemplify the academy’s dangerous associations.

Guest speakers like Sheikh Amin Rastani, known for their support of the Iranian regime and affiliation with regime-friendly religious schools in Qom, Iran, further reinforce the academy’s extremist ties.

Additionally, connections to radical figures further highlight the concerning nature of the academy’s associations. In 2015, at the Az-Zahraa Islamic Center in Detroit, MI, radical Imam Dr. Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini praised the opening of the troubling Great Revelations Academy and encouraged the construction of more Islamic schools in America for Muslim children.

Al-Qazwini, known for his extremist views and anti-Semitic rhetoric, demands a perpetual state of war with Israel, expresses hatred towards Jews, defends Hamas, and propagates conspiracies such as claiming that “ISIS is the production of Israeli intelligence.” Such endorsements from individuals with radical ideologies underscore the academy’s alignment with extremist agendas.

In light of these findings, it becomes clear that the Great Revelations Academy serves as a platform for disseminating an Islamic view that not only contradicts Western values of equality and freedom but also perpetuates a divisive and dangerous worldview.

The troubling revelation of the Great Revelations Academy’s Islamic radical ties raises serious concerns about the grooming of Muslim children in America to adhere to Sharia law and sympathize with terrorist groups and ideologies. The lack of oversight regarding the teachings at this Islamic institution is deeply troubling. Furthermore, the fact that the Great Revelations Academy is recognized as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code raises questions about whether American taxpayers should be compelled to support a school that promotes anti-Western beliefs and supports organizations and individuals with harmful Islamic intentions.

This article has been crossposted with permission from the RAIR Foundation.