Baitus Samee Mosque | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Branch/tradition | Ahmadiyya |
Location | |
Location | Houston, Texas, United States |
Geographic coordinates | 29°57′52″N95°26′25″W / 29.964323°N 95.440288°W Coordinates: 29°57′52″N95°26′25″W / 29.964323°N 95.440288°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Completed | 2004 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 900 |
Dome(s) | 1 |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
Baitus Samee Mosque is a prominent Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was developed in stages during 1998 to 2004; its doors opened in 2001 or 2002.
It was conceived in the 1980s by Mirza Tahir Ahmad, fourth caliph of the Ahmadiyya faith, as one of five large mosque construction projects to be built in major United States cities, along with ones in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. [1] It is a leading mosque of Ahmadiyya in the United States.
It is a 6,500 square feet (600 m2) mosque constructed for $1.5 million on a 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) site. Dedicated in March 2004, it has capacity for 1,000 worshippers, and was the result of "nearly 20 years of work by 500 members from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and other countries", of a group which previously met in a community center. [2] The mosque was built in stages, with its foundation laid in 1998 and with the congregation moving in during 2001. [3] Houston mayor Bill White "thanked the Ahmadis for their part in enriching the community" and proclaimed March 27, 2004 to be "Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Day". [3]
The mosque has been a leader in interfaith dialogue and salient in the news:
The mosque was visited by the current, fifth caliph of the world-wide Ahmadiyya community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, in 2018. [12] [13] The caliph led prayers and delivered his Friday sermon. [14] It was one of only four stops in the United States by the khalifa, before he would continue on to Guatemala. Guests were expected "from all over the Gulf Coast region and around the world" for the event, which was said to be comparable to a visit by the pope or the Dalai Lama. [15]
In 2019, the mosque was twice threatened online to be the site of a violent attack, with the sender citing the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand in March 2019. This led to calls for increased security to be put into place in mosques across Texas. [16] [17] [18] The Harris County Sheriff's Office and the FBI were investigating. [19] This was three weeks after a man threatened to shoot up the mosque after he was asked to leave; the man was arrested. [19]
The Baitul Futuh is a mosque complex of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, situated in Morden, London. It is purported as one of the largest mosques in Europe however this claim has been debunked by surveyors to the mosque who determined that the inflated figure from capacity for near 10,500 worshippers, was incorrect. In fact, the true capacity was seen to be nearer to 3,000 worshippers. This true figure compares to plenty of other mosques in the UK such as the Manchester Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre and the Central Mosque Lanarkshire cited in the surveyors' report. Completed in 2003 at a cost of £15 million, entirely from donations of Ahmadi Muslims, the full complex accommodates 4,000 people. The main mosque has a height of 23m above ground, and to maximise capacity the building extends below ground. Baitul Futuh is located in the south-west London suburb London Borough of Merton. It is situated next to Morden South railway station, 0.4 miles from Morden Underground station and one mile from Morden Road tram stop.
Mirza Tahir Ahmad was the fourth caliph and the head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Community. He was elected as the fourth successor of the founder of the community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected on 10 June 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Nasir Ahmad.
Hāfiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad was the third Caliph of the Messiah, head of the Ahmadiyya Community. He was elected as the third successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 8 November 1965, the day after the death of his predecessor and father, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad.
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, was the second caliph, leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the eldest son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from his second wife, Nusrat Jahan Begum. He was elected as the second successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 14 March 1914 at the age of 25, the day after the death of his predecessor Hakim Nur-ud-Din.
Ordinance XX is a legal ordinance of the Government of Pakistan that was promulgated under the regime of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq on 26 April 1984 and is meant to prohibit the practice of Islam and the usage of Islamic terms and titles for the Ahmadiyya Community. The ordinance bars Ahmadi, who are deemed Non-Muslims under the Pakistani constitution, from publicly practising the Islamic faith and also disallows them from using any Islamic texts for praying purposes. It is in addition to – but separate from – the 1974 Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. While the Second Amendment declared that Ahmadis are non-Muslims, the Ordinance prohibits Ahmadis from identifying themselves as Muslims.
The Fazl mosque also known as The London mosque, is the first purpose-built mosque in London, England. It was opened on 23 October 1926 in Southfields, Wandsworth. At a cost of £6,223, the construction of the place and the purchase of the land on which it stands, was funded by the donations of Ahmadi Muslims. Between 1984 and 2019 the Fazl Mosque was the residence of the caliphs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and therefore its de facto international headquarters. The administrative headquarters now lies at the site of the Islamabad, Tilford.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Fifth Caliph of the Messiah. He was elected on 22 April 2003, three days after the death of his predecessor Mirza Tahir Ahmad.
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic branch in Switzerland, under the spiritual leadership of the caliph in London. The Community was founded on October 13, 1946, during the late period of the Second Caliphate, when the caliph directed Shaikh Nasir Ahmad to establish a mission in the country. Today there are two Ahmadi mosques and 14 local branches, representing an estimated 800 Ahmadi Muslims.
The Al Mahdi Mosque is an Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Bradford, England. The mosque was built at a cost £2.5 million entirely from voluntary donations of British Ahmadi Muslims. The mosque was opened on 7 November 2008 by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current and fifth caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. With a capacity of 2,000 worshippers, it is among the largest in the city. The inauguration was attended by many Ahmadi Muslims and over 300 guests. The mosque, on Rees Way, was built at the top of a hill and is visible from miles around within the city.
Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, is an Islamic revival or messianic movement originating in Punjab, British India, in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who claimed to have been divinely appointed as both the Promised Mahdi and Messiah expected by Muslims to appear towards the end times and bring about, by peaceful means, the final triumph of Islam; as well as to embody, in this capacity, the expected eschatological figure of other major religious traditions. Adherents of the Ahmadiyya—a term adopted expressly in reference to Muhammad's alternative name Aḥmad—are known as Ahmadi Muslims or simply Ahmadis.
Jalsa Salana is the formal, annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community initiated by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the community who claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi of the end days. Usually, the gathering spans over three days, beginning on Friday after the Friday Sermon. Typically, the flag hoisting ceremony is used to identify its commencement. Although there is a central, international Jalsa attended by Ahmadis from across the world, many of the countries hold their own national jalsa, sometimes attended by the Khalifatul Masih.
Ahmadiyya in Israel is a small Muslim community in Israel. The Community was first established in the region in the 1920s, in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Ahmadi branch of Islam can be openly practiced. As such, Kababir, a neighbourhood on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, acts as the Middle East headquarters of the Community. It is unknown how many Israeli Ahmadis there are, although it is estimated there are about 2,200 Ahmadis in Kababir alone.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the second-largest sect of Islam in Sierra Leone, behind only Sunni Islam. The earliest history of the Community in Sierra Leone dates back to the early period of the Second Caliphate, when at least six people are said to have conveyed their adherence to the faith. The sect attained rapid growth in the country after the 1937 arrival of Nazir Ahmad Ali, the first permanent Ahmadi missionary in Sierra Leone. Recent estimates by Ahmadi community suggest that there are approximately 560,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Sierra Leone, which is about 9% of the country's total population. Sierra Leone has the largest percentage of Ahmadi Muslims by share of total population in the world.
Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas, is home to a significant number of Muslim Americans. As of 2012 it has the largest Muslim population in Texas and the largest Muslim population in the Southern United States. That year, Kate Shellnut of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "Some estimate that Muslims make up 1.2 percent of the city's population." As of 2012 the estimated population of Muslims in Houston was around 63,000. As of today, there are over 209 mosques and storefront religious centers, with the largest being the Al-Noor Mosque of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH).
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic branch in the United States. The earliest contact between the American people and the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam was during the lifetime of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. In 1911, during the era of the First Caliphate of the Community, the Ahmadiyya movement in India began to prepare for its mission to the United States. However, it was not until 1920, during the era of the Second Caliphate, that Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, under the directive of the caliph, would leave England on SS Haverford for the United States. Sadiq established the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United States in 1920. The U.S. Ahmadiyya movement is considered by some historians as one of the precursors to the Civil Rights Movement in America. The Community was the most influential Muslim community in African-American Islam until the 1950s. Today, there are approximately 15,000 to 20,000 American Ahmadi Muslims spread across the country.
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic branch in Spain, under the spiritual leadership of the caliph in London. The earliest history of the Community in Spain dates back to the period of the Second Caliph, when Malik Mohammad Sharid Gujrati, a missionary of the Community, arrived in Madrid on March 10, 1936. However, in the same year the Spanish Civil War broke out forcing Gujrati to abandon the country. Missionary efforts commenced once again following the Second World War, in 1946 when Karam Ilahi Zafar was sent by the caliph. The Basharat Mosque in Pedro Abad, built by the Ahmadiyya in the 1980s is the first mosque to be built in Spain since the Fall of Granada and the end of Muslim rule at the end of the 15th century. Today there are two purpose-built Ahmadi Muslim mosques and roughly 500 adherents in Spain.
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic community in Sweden, under the leadership of the caliph in London. The earliest history of the Community in the country begins in 1956, during the Second Caliphate, when Kamal Yousuf was appointed as the head of the mission in Sweden. However it was not until 1970 that the Community was first officially registered. Today, there are two purpose-built mosques, one of which is the oldest in the country, and also a number of other Islamic centers, representing an estimated average of 1200 Ahmadi Muslims in the country.
Ahmadiyya is a community in Ireland under the spiritual leadership of the caliph in London. The Community was formally registered in the country in 1992, during the era of the Fourth Caliphate. Today there are two Ahmadiyya mosques in the country, one of which is purpose-built, representing up to 500 Ahmadis in the country.
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic movement in Australia, first formally founded in the country in the 1980s, during the era of the fourth caliph. However, the history of the Community dates back to the early 20th century, during the lifetime of the founder of the movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, with the first contacts arising as a consequence of Australians travelling to British India, and also as a consequence of early, "Afghan" camel drivers settling in Australia during the mid to late 19th century. Today there are at least four Ahmadi mosques in four of the six Australian states, representing an estimated 6,000-8,000 Australian Ahmadis in the country.