Islamic Center of Pittsburgh

Last updated
Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
Religion
LeadershipWasi Mohamed, Executive Director
Location
Location4100 Bigelow Blvd.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Geographic coordinates 40°26′56″N79°57′21″W / 40.4488°N 79.9557°W / 40.4488; -79.9557 Coordinates: 40°26′56″N79°57′21″W / 40.4488°N 79.9557°W / 40.4488; -79.9557
Website
www.icp-pgh.org

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is an Islamic educational, social services, and community outreach organization in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1989, it is the largest mosque in the city, attracting 600 to 700 participants for weekly prayers. It provides social services for people of all religious backgrounds and engages in educational outreach and interfaith dialogue to foster community understanding and cooperation.

Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of God. It is the world's second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion followers or 24% of the world's population, most commonly known as Muslims. Muslims make up a majority of the population in 50 countries. Islam teaches that God is merciful, all-powerful, and unique, and has guided humankind through prophets, revealed scriptures and natural signs. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, viewed by Muslims as the verbatim word of God, and the teachings and normative examples of Muhammad.

Pittsburgh City in western Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. As of 2017, a population of 302,407 lives within the city limits, making it the 63rd-largest city in the U.S.. The metropolitan population of 2,324,743 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S.

Mosque Place of worship for followers of Islam

A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims.

Contents

Mosque

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh (ICP) was founded in 1989 [1] in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the largest mosque in the city, regularly attracting 600 to 700 participants for the weekly prayer service. [2] In December 2016, average attendance at Friday prayers was 750 participants. [3]

Oakland (Pittsburgh) Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Oakland is the academic and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and one of the city's major cultural centers. The neighborhood is home to three universities, museums, and hospitals, as well as an abundance of shopping, restaurants, and recreational activities. Oakland is home to the Schenley Farms National Historic District which encompasses two city designated historic districts: the mostly residential Schenley Farms Historic District and the predominantly institutional Oakland Civic Center Historic District. It is also home to the locally designated Oakland Square Historic District. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire has Fire Station No. 14 on McKee Place and Fire Station No. 10 on Allequippa Street in Oakland.

Activities

ICP is actively involved in education, social services, and community outreach, extending its services to Muslims and non-Muslims in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia. [4] Its educational programs include workshops on Islamic practice, a Muslim youth center, [5] a Sunday school, [4] and a support group for converts to Islam. [6] On the social services front, ICP operates a monthly food pantry in conjunction with the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. This service is open to both Muslims and non-Muslims. [2]

Western Pennsylvania Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Western Pennsylvania refers to the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its other metropolitan centers. As of the 2010 census, Western Pennsylvania's total population is nearly 4 million.

Ohio State of the United States of America

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th largest by area, the seventh most populous, and the tenth most densely populated. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus.

Northern Panhandle of West Virginia Place in West Virginia, United States

The Northern Panhandle is the northern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is a culturally and geographically distinct region of the state. It is the state's northernmost extension, bounded by Ohio and the Ohio River on the north and west and the state of Pennsylvania on the east. Its unusual configuration is the result of the Revolutionary-era claims of Virginia's former Yohogania County boundary lying along the Ohio River, conflicting with interpretations of the Colony of Pennsylvania's royal charter. The conflict was settled by compromise in the 1780s. Today, due to the southern boundary being an extension of the Mason–Dixon line and the panhandle's proximity to the Pittsburgh area, the Northern Panhandle resembles more of the Midwestern United States or the Northeastern United States compared to the rest of the state, which is classified as part of the Upland South.

In response to anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobia, ICP has engaged in numerous community outreach initiatives. It offers an "Islam 101" course educating non-Muslims about the tenets and practices of Islam, [2] and a course guiding non-Muslims to support and ally with those who practice Islam. [1] [7] It makes itself available to the media and participates in community panels to dispel myths about Islam. [8] [9] [10] Following the 2015 San Bernardino attack in California, ICP hosted a series of interfaith dinners. [10] A local Reform Jewish congregation, Temple Sinai, reciprocates by hosting ICP members for an annual Shabbat service and dinner. [11]

Islamophobia in the United States

Islamophobia in the United States can be described as the affective distrust and hostility towards Muslims, Islam, and those perceived as following the religion and or appear as members of the religion and its associative groups. This social aversion and bias is facilitated and perpetuated by violent and uncivilized stereotypes portrayed in various forms of American media networks and political platforms that result in the marginalization, discrimination, and exclusion of the Muslims and Muslim perceived individuals. Media and politicians capitalize on public fear and distrust of Muslims through laws that specifically target Muslims, while the media emphasizes Muslim religious extremism in association with violent activity.

2015 San Bernardino attack December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California

On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed and 22 others were seriously injured in a terrorist attack consisting of a mass shooting and an attempted bombing at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. The perpetrators, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple living in the city of Redlands, targeted a San Bernardino County Department of Public Health training event and Christmas party of about 80 employees in a rented banquet room. Farook was a U.S.-born citizen of Pakistani descent, who worked as a health department employee. Malik was a Pakistani-born lawful permanent resident of the United States.

Reform Judaism Denomination of Judaism

Reform Judaism is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones, and a belief in a continuous revelation, closely intertwined with human reason and intellect, and not centered on the theophany at Mount Sinai. A liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by a lesser stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding Jewish Law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and openness to external influences and progressive values. The origins of Reform Judaism lay in 19th-century Germany, where its early principles were formulated by Rabbi Abraham Geiger and his associates; since the 1970s, the movement adopted a policy of inclusiveness and acceptance, inviting as many as possible to partake in its communities, rather than strict theoretical clarity. It is strongly identified with progressive political and social agendas, mainly under the traditional Jewish rubric Tikkun Olam, or "Repairing of the World". Tikkun Olam is a central motto of Reform Judaism, and action for its sake is one of the main channels for adherents to express their affiliation. The movement's greatest center today is in North America.

Interfaith relations

ICP engages in interfaith dialogue with other faith groups and secular organizations. It holds an annual Humanity Day awards ceremony during Ramadan, which honors Pittsburgh citizens who advance interfaith relations. [2] [12] ICP regularly extends invitations to members of other religious congregations, including Jewish and Lutheran, to tour its mosque. [2]

Ramadan Muslim religious observances in the month of Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.

Following the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in neighboring Squirrel Hill, ICP joined with two Muslim nonprofits to open a LaunchGood crowdfunding page to help pay for the burial of the victims and survivors' medical bills, with the funds to be distributed by ICP. [13] [14] As of November 1, the page has exceeded $220,000 in contributions. [15]

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting mass shooting

The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was a mass shooting that occurred at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 27, 2018, while Shabbat morning services were being held. Eleven people were killed and seven were injured. It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.

Tree of Life – Or LSimcha Congregation a synagogue in Pittsburgh

Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation is a Conservative Jewish synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The congregation moved into its present synagogue building in 1953. It merged with Congregation Or L'Simcha in 2010, bringing its membership to 530 families.

Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh) Neighborhood of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood.

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References

  1. 1 2 "How to be a Muslim Ally: Presentation by the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh". Green Building Alliance. March 30, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Iati, Marisa (September 25, 2014). "Muslims in Islamic Center of Pittsburgh demonstrate little-known facets of their faith". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  3. ↑ Garcia, Deanna (December 6, 2015). "Pittsburgh Police Share Plan To Build Trust With, Protect City's Muslim Population". WESA . Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Islamic Center of Pittsburgh Sunday School Help". Pittsburgh Cares. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Youth Alliance of Networking and Empowerment (YA-NE)". Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ Nath, Jessica (May 1, 2015). "Pittsburgh Muslims Use Education, Outreach to Dispel Stereotypes". WESA. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  7. ↑ Schneider, Sarah (March 9, 2016). "Islamic Center Wants To Make Allies Of Pittsburgh's Non-Muslim Community". WESA. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  8. ↑ McLaughlin, Mora (January 26, 2016). "Carlow Invites Locals To Meet Their 'Muslim Next Door'". WESA. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  9. ↑ Essential Pittsburgh (January 26, 2015). "A Local Imam Confronts Misinterpretations of Islam". WESA. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Lepro, Elizabeth (March 30, 2016). "Pittsburgh Islamic community combats political rhetoric". PublicSource. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  11. ↑ "2nd Annual SHABBAT SERVICE & DINNER with the ISLAMIC CENTER OF PITTSBURGH". 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  12. ↑ Bolotnikova, Marina (July 16, 2013). "Pittsburgh Islamic Center's Humanity Day focuses on justice". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  13. ↑ Sadeque, Samira (October 30, 2018). "U.S. Muslims Raise $190,000 for Burial of Jewish Pittsburgh Victims". Haaretz . Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  14. ↑ Fisher, Alyssa (October 30, 2018). "Muslims Raise More Than $180K For Pittsburgh Synagogue Victims". The Forward . Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue". LaunchGood. 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
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