The New Muslim Program is IAR's structured convert care program: a 26-week, seven-phase journey that pairs each new Muslim with a trained volunteer Guide. The Guide is a companion and resource navigator — not a teacher. Theological questions, shahadah doubts, and family or safety concerns escalate through the Outreach Coordinator to the Imams.
Ambassadors and Convert Care Leads handle pre-shahadah education and the shahadah itself. The assigned Guide makes first contact within 24 hours of shahadah and meets in person by Day 3 where possible— the highest-risk abandonment window. From there, the program moves through phases covering foundations of belief and prayer, integration into communal life, belonging, growth, and self-directed practice, ending with a formal transition conversation at Week 26. Contact intensity deliberately tapers: hands-on early, monthly by the end. The stated goal is that the Guide makes themselves unnecessary.
Guides are selected for mercy and disposition, then trained for knowledge. If a new Muslim already has a Muslim friend who brought them (85–90% of cases), that friend is equipped as the Guide rather than replaced. New Muslims have input on Guide matching (gender match required). Support level is assessed early — full program, light-touch check-ins, or resources-only — and pacing adapts to the person, not the checklist.
The Outreach Coordinator is the operational point of contact and manages escalations, mismatch reassignment, and Guide burnout without guilt. Tracking runs through Skyward Blue CRM: profile creation at shahadah, milestone logging, closure at Week 26 with a 3-month follow-up. Being Muslim serves as the reading spine, sequenced to phases rather than assigned as curriculum.