Current Initiatives
K-8 Education
The Montessori school offers K-8 education for primary and secondary school children, blending traditional Islamic teachings with a comprehensive elementary curriculum that includes math, science, reading comprehension, art, outdoor learning, and more.
Garden Project
Casa Umar’s garden project promotes sustainable agricultural practices by growing food, reconnecting with the land, and reviving Indigenous land stewardship traditions, all while supporting global efforts toward environmental regeneration.
Adult Learning
Our adult learning programs offer a variety of courses, including comprehensive sewing and embroidery classes, computer literacy training, and specialized workshops led by volunteers in areas like aromatherapy and oil blending, among others.
Halal Carnicería
The member-led butcher shop provides a sustainable source of halal meat to the local community. This is especially important for the community given the importance of meat in the Indigenous local cuisine. The shop also aims to provide teaching & apprenticeship opportunities for locals to learn about halal & tayyib slaughter practices.
Musallah
The Musallah at Casa Umar is open from fajr to isha, seven days a week — allowing consistent community access to the masjid. Jummah prayer is held every Friday and community members often lead the khutbah (sermon). The khutbahs are always uniquely relevant to the lives of the community, and the challenges faced by many of them.
Quran in Tzotzil
At Casa Umar, we strive to develop and disseminate Islamic content in both Spanish and Tzotzil — a local indigenous, Mayan language. To both promote cultural preservation and Islamic knowledge, we are working to translate the Quran into Tzotzil — affirming the importance of cultural-spiritual integration and wide accessibility of the Quran.