After Tariq Al-Karim passed away last August, his family created the Tariq Al-Karim Scholarship Fund to give money to 10 students and seven student organizations at Sinclair Community College.
The students who received the scholarship money were chosen for numerous factors including need for money, being hard working, recommended students and being active in student leadership, according to Johnson. The students were of various religions and ethnicities.
“Our motivation here at the Muslim Student Association is to just help other students and groups. We’re not a big group here on campus but we’re a busy group. Part of Islam is to help your neighbors. It has nothing to do with their religion or their race or their beliefs,” Abdullah Johnson, professor and close of friend Al-Karim said. “Islam is about helping everybody, helping your neighbor, helping people regardless of race, creed, color, religious belief and such.”
The organizations receiving money include the Office of Campus Ministry, Crosswalk, Campus Bible Fellowship, SCC Alternative Religion, the BriTe SiGnaL Alliance, the African American Club and the Cultural Diversity Club. The criterion for clubs that were chosen were activeness, diversity and religious tolerance, according to Johnson. Johnson said that he hopes that the student organizations will be inspired to help one another.
“As Muslims, we believe that continuing charity, such as a scholarship program, is a benefit both for those who receive the charity as well as those who give it, whether they are alive or dead. Thus, we pray that those who receive this money will pray for Tariq and go on to do good works as a result of their education, and that this will benefit him in his life after death,” Trinka, Al-Karim’s wife said.
She continued, “In the Qur’an, God explains, ‘The likeness of those who spend for Allah’s sake is as the likeness of a grain of corn, it grows seven ears every single ear has a hundred grains, and Allah multiplies (increases the reward of) for whom He wills, and Allah is sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.’”
“It’s a great thing for Muslims to be able to affect people because that blessing in our belief carries on. Even if you are dead, something you do carries on; you still get that blessing for that which is really a cool thing,” said Johnson.
According to Johnson, helping other people was an essential aspect of Al-Karim’s life. “Sometimes you need that one thing to help push you forward. That would have been Tariq’s idea about things. Just being around him so much and knowing him. He basically exemplified Islamic teachings. Regardless of what other people do, we are supposed to help others regardless of religion,” Johnson said. “It’s a time when everyone is sad, losing money, losing jobs, things are happening, so we can take a tragic event like Tariq’s death and turn it into something really good. As the Muslim Student Association, we are just trying to show people that that’s what it’s all about, take something, make it good for everyone.”
Al-Karim was an adjunct accounting professor, a tax-preparer and financial consultant. He passed away in August from a brain hemorrhage.
Tariq was born as James Bakerville during 1949 in Philadelphia as the seventh in a family of eleven children. During his earlier years, he converted to Islam, changed his name, graduated from Wilberforce University with an accounting degree and earned an MBA from Atlanta University. The Al-Karim family lives in Michigan but they wanted the money to go to Dayton because Tariq lived here and worked here for a large part of his life.
“Tariq was from Philadelphia and he was definitely from the street. He managed to get through the drugs, get through the fighting, get through the poverty and work his way through school, work his way through grad school and then come out and serve the community,” Johnson said.
Al-Karim was a tax accountant, taught accounting at Wilberforce and did accounting for several businesses. He also helped non-profit organizations such as the Muslim Alliance of North America, according to his wife Trinka Klima Al-Karim.
“The value he placed on education was clearly demonstrated by the work and sacrifice that he put into gaining it,” Trinka said.
Tariq worked as a Muslim chaplain for Ohio’s prison system, according to Trinka.
“Tariq was especially concerned with incarcerated Muslims. He worked for the State of Ohio as a religious service provider, and was active in MANA in their prison re-entry program,” she said. “He mentored numerous ex-offenders as they re-entered society.”
With all of the things Al-Karim did to help his community, he always remembered to keep God and family first, Trinka said.
“Tariq was a believer. The most important things to him were his relationship with God, service to his family and activity in the Muslim community,” she said. “He was a hard worker, a generous and kind friend, and a devoted husband and father.”