By the grace of Allah, the grand new 63,000 sq ft Islamic Cultural Center in the heart of Boston is now open! It is:
5 minutes from downtown Boston
Less than 3 miles from Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Tufts, Boston College; less than 10 miles from 50 other colleges
Contains facilities for washing the deceased and preparing them for burial; library and interfaith center space; retails spaces for gift shops; numerous halls for cultural and educational functions and exhibits; conference rooms and office spaces; accommodation for up to 4000 worshippers; space for an industrial kitchen; parking lots in the back and underground for up to 100 cars; full ablution/wudu rooms, showers, and diaper changing areas; a 135-ft minaret; space for a computer lab; designated space for a school with 17 classrooms, cafeteria and administrative offices (in Phase II of the project)
It is a significant cultural landmark that has national and international impact:
Over 40% of the leaders of America in government, media, religion, industry spend a significant amount of time in New England getting educated.
For example, Hilary, Obama, Gore, Clinton, Bush, Romney, and hundreds of business and civic leaders, all went through New England schools and regularly return here.
Many future leaders are being educated here now.
Furthermore, many international leaders are educated here – both from the Muslim world and otherwise.
Thus the impact we make here in Boston, providing a strong, clear, positive voice and image of Islam reaches nationally and, to a degree, internationally.
What Makes the ISBCC Unique?
Providing a strong, positive, organized voice for the Muslim community. Below are a few examples:
In just 2 years, we have catalyzed over 25 positive media pieces about the Center, Islam, and Muslims in major media: Boston Globe (10 times); NPR (3 times); ABC Chronicle (2 times), ABC News National, WRKO, Hallmark Channel, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, several more in local media like the Herald, Metro.
We have been receiving 15 groups per month from colleges, interfaith leaders, schools, civic groups, and political staffers to learn about Islam, Muslims, and Muslim concerns. Also, they see the incredible beauty and grandeur of the center. Some who have visited are Boston College, Harvard, Greek Orthodox Seminary, Boston Theological institute, the Mayor’s top staff, the Governor’s top staff, city councilors and state reps, law enforcement (Heads of FBI, Immigration, Homeland Security, TSA).
We co-organize a monthly meeting that brings together Muslim representatives with FBI, Homeland Security, Immigration, Dept of Justice, State Police, Boston Police. We raise our concerns and have discussions about regional and national issues (e.g. the new investigative guidelines from the FBI/DOJ that seem to allow racial profiling against Muslims).
We are responsible for training immigration, state police, Boston police, TSA (airports) on cultural diversity and Islam. We have trained over 1500 law enforcement officers.
Organizing Muslims to make an impact in the public sphere. Below are a few examples:
We defeated Gov Patrick's proposal for casinos in MA by working with the Massachusetts Council of churches and testifying at the statehouse
We worked with the Greater Boston Civil Rights Coalition and successfully lobbied the Governor to create a new civil rights position in his cabinet. And we got a grant to work on Muslim anti-discrimination efforts with support from this new civil rights appointee.
We ran a voter registration and education campaign that created a database of 4200 Muslim voters in the city of Boston (that’s almost 2% of Boston’s electorate) – this work was mentioned in a front page Boston Globe article.
All of our work has caused some of our key staff and leaders to be appointed to a number of boards: Harvard's Islam in the West-Muslims in Boston Survey, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, Center for Jewish Muslim Relations, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Inter-religious Center for Public Life, and more.
Creating a strong, faithful, Muslim community through Spiritual, Social, Youth, and Training programs. Below are a few examples:
Running a youth program that has done study circles, numerous socials and sports like hiking, skiing, road trips for Islamic concerts, SAT and College Preparation with Muslim teachers from the top colleges, and more.
Providing a place where thousands come for religious activities – hundreds in every night of Ramadan, 3500 for Laylatul-Qadr, over 4000 for Eid, over a thousand for the Eid carnival.
Bringing top scholars and speakers that the center is able to attract because of its size and visibility.
Training the community. Past trainings have included: parenting with teenagers, negotiations, youth work, civic engagement.
Doing a law enforcement jobs fair attended by 300 people with a dozen government agencies recruiting from the Muslim community
Summary of this unique project
It is a cultural landmark. The ISBCC is the largest Islamic center in New England, and the second largest on the East Coast. The 63,000 square foot building stands tall on Malcolm X Boulevard in the heart of Boston, a Muslim handprint on the city skyline.
It is the cornerstone of the New England Muslim community. The ISBCC is not just a mosque, but is also planned to house a school (by 2013), a library, an interfaith center, an exhibition space and a morgue. Every Muslim neighborhood in the greater Boston area has had a hand in its construction, and its leadership reflects the full diversity of our community.
It is a magnet for political support. The two-decade effort to build the ISBCC has brought together Muslims, the Roxbury community, the city of Boston and the leaders of other faith groups. Mayor Thomas Menino, Senator John Kerry, various State Senators and City Councilors have all announced their support for the ISBCC. More than 250 leaders of different faiths also attended an Interfaith Solidarity Event to support the establishment of the ISBCC. No wonder then that the ISBCC has been regularly featured in local, regional and national media.
It improves community relations and provides social services. Operating the ISBCC, the Muslim American Society (MAS Boston) is committed to providing a broad range of social services for community members of all faiths. Successful projects in the recent past include the diversity training of hundreds of police officers and law enforcement officials, the distribution of ‘udhiya meat to local Muslims and non-Muslims, reaching hundreds of youth with leadership and spiritual development programs, mobilizing Muslims to become civically and politically active, establishing a Speakers Bureau to address hundreds of requests for speakers on Islam, and initiating interfaith projects with local Christian and Jewish communities.
Educational partnerships. Boston is known internationally as a center of academic excellence, with more than sixty colleges of all kinds. As a source of reliable information about Islam and Muslims, initiatives in the ISBCC include establishing partnerships with Harvard University and with our neighbor Roxbury Community College. In this and so many other ways, the project promises to reflect an outward-looking, American Muslim institution.
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Let us establish a strong foundation for the ISBCC this year and seek reward from Allah. As the Prophet s.a.w. tells us, Allah promises a house in Paradise for those who build mosques. Furthermore, as the Prophet, s.a.w. reminds us: “The most beloved of deeds to Allah is that which is regular, even if small.” We hope this monthly donation will be that small but beloved deed to God.
Please do support the Center in this inaugural year.
