"Some university students were on a boat with an old sailor from a small village as they sailed out to sea," ud-Din told nearly 100 boys and their fathers sitting on the floor in the main sanctuary at the Khadeeja Islamic Center in West Valley, while mothers and daughters listened from the balcony.

"Do you know algebra?" they asked the old sailor. When he answered in the negative, they laughed and ridiculed him.

"What about chemistry?" No again, and more laughter.

"How about geography?" His negative response brought howls of ridicule.

Suddenly, a storm came up, threatening to capsize the boat.

"Do you know how to swim?" the sailor asked the students. When they shook their heads, he said, "Now it is my turn to laugh."

An Islamic education is as practical and necessary as swimming, said ud-Din, who is also the imam, or religious leader, of the mosque. "If you have not learned your religion, you have not learned skills to guide you through life."

Clearly, the more than 200 Muslim students between 6 and 18 who completed their Sunday school year on Sunday are committed to an in-depth study of their faith. They learn how to pray, read the Quran, study Islamic morals, history and laws. No matter what language they speak at home or what country their family comes from - Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Syria or Bosnia - they all learn Arabic, the language of scripture.

"I can't speak it fluently yet, but once you learn to read it's not too hard," said 12-year-old Nafisa Masud, whose father is from Pakistan and her mother from Ireland (she converted to Islam). "I like learning about our culture. I love learning about the Prophet Muhammad. It helps to understand the faith."

Her favorite Quran passage is: "Allah will bless those who learn the Quran and teach it to others."

Nafisa and her 13-year-old sister Ameera attend St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Salt Lake City. They enjoy the religious setting, but appreciate Islamic school on the weekend.

"You make a lot of friends, all from different countries," Ameera said. "Ours is a tight community. We have busy lives. It's nice to take a day out of our week and learn about our faith."

For the graduation program, the boys' and girls' classes alternated giving presentations to the proud moms and dads, ubiquitous video cameras in hand. The littlest ones described the "beautiful names" and attributes of God. They offered memorized scriptures in Arabic, poems and dialogues they had written, stories about Adam and Eve in the Garden and recounted the story of Muhammad's life. They offered prayers in English and Arabic.

Several of the older girls took turns quoting wisdom from Muhammad's last speech:

"Hurt no one so no one will hurt you . . . "

"Women have the right to be fed and clothed in kindness . . . "

"All mankind from Adam and Eve, no one has superiority over another . . . "

Then they gave out awards for perfect attendance and "best Islamic manners."

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. visited the West Valley mosque for the first time. While his wife, Mary Kaye, and their oldest daughter Mary Anne covered their heads and sat in the balcony with the women, the governor sat cross-legged among the men on the main floor until it was his time to address the young people.

"As governor, it's an honor to be with all of you," Huntsman said. "I consider you friends and important contributors to the state of Utah. We share a common destiny - peace, happiness and tranquility."

It is so important for Utah's more than 25,000 Muslims to train their children in the faith so they can share it with others who know nothing about Islam, he said.

After the program, Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune he was "impressed by the young faces. They represent a cross section of different countries, many of them war-torn."

Someday, the governor said, "one of them may be governor."

pstack@sltrib.com