How Muslim Explorers Arabic Curriculum Began

Compass representing the origins of the Muslim Explorers Arabic program.

Muslim Explorers began in a small Arabic Saturday school in Milford, Ohio, housed in the beautiful Ihsan Masjid — a community that went on to sponsor and nurture every step of this journey.

Week after week, our teachers observed a familiar challenge faced by many Muslim families in North America: children were memorizing Arabic letters and Qur’anic verses, yet struggling to understand their meaning. The materials available were often outdated, uninspiring, and not designed with our children’s lived experiences in mind.

What started as a search for engaging, meaningful Arabic lessons for a single classroom grew into a comprehensive curriculum for today’s Muslim children — one that is colorful, interactive, and rooted in understanding rather than rote memorization.

Kids exploring and learning, boy with binoculars, girl with a book, symbolizing discovery and the start of the Arabic curriculum journey.

We faced unique challenges

Arabic learning materials created overseas didn't relate to our children's reality.

Boring Arabic worksheets that made practice time a daily battle.

No connection between Arabic alphabet learning and Quranic understanding.

Zero fun in traditional Arabic workbooks for beginners.

Our kids loved their regular activity books but dreaded Arabic homework.

The Educators Behind Muslim Explorers Arabic Curriculum

Iman Hasan dressed in modest clothing, sitting on a chair and smiling, holding a spiral-bound Arabic workbook. On a nearby table, there are several other workbooks, craft materials, glue, and colorful pens, all related to Arabic language learning.

Our diverse team brings together expertise in Arabic language education, Islamic studies, child development, and graphic design:

Educational Consultants

Ihab Alsaghier
Imam & Executive Director, Ihsan Islamic Center
A graduate of Al-Azhar with advanced degrees, bringing decades of experience in Hadith, Qur’an, and Arabic instruction. He provides scholarly guidance and spiritual leadership to the Muslim Explorers program.

Tasnim Salem
Islamic Studies & STEAM Education Consultant
Integrates modern, inquiry-based teaching methods with traditional Arabic and Islamic learning.

Sakina Grome
Curriculum Consultant & Content Creator
A dedicated homeschool mother, social worker, and college professor who helped shape the Islamic content of our curriculum and contributed to the development of its learning materials.

Maryam Dughmush
Lead Teacher & Early Childhood Curriculum Contributor
An assistant teacher and creative contributor at Muslim Explorers, supporting the development of our early childhood curriculum and designing engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences for our youngest learners.

Our Teaching Team
With gratitude, we also recognize the dedicated educators of the Muslim Explorers Saturday Program at Ihsan Islamic Center:
Sawsan Khalil, Manal Salameh, Eenas Alkum, Manal Shalash, Nadia Hasan, Shaymaa Haddad, Amal Jafari.