tarek ibn ziyad academy opened in the fall of 2003 for the 2003–2004 school year. the school was founded by its current principal, asad zaman and hesham hussein, both local imams and leaders of the muslim american society of minnesota (mas-mn). the school opened with an enrollment of 215 students in grades k-5. the school was very popular and had 765 applicants in the first year.