Birmingham Islamic Society

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
BIS.png

The Birmingham Islamic Society is a religious organization comprised of more than 750 members of the Muslim faith. Primarily serving Sunni Muslims, it is the largest organization for Muslims in the Birmingham metropolitan area. The Society's president is Khaled Sakalla. Ashfaq Taufique is president emeritus.

The organization grew out of the Muslim Student Association at UAB which was formed in the early 1980s. The society was formed in 1990 as an unincoporated assoication. Initially it oppperated a 3,000 square foot masjid (i.e., mosque) near UAB. In 1996 it moved into the former Rosedale School building in the historic Rosedale community in Homewood. This building (approximately 40,000 square feet) also became the home of the Islamic Academy of Alabama, an accredited school with additional instruction in the Qur'an and the Arabic language.

Friday prayers are held at the Homewood Masjid in Rosedale, the Hoover Crescent Islamic Center, and the West End Masjid in Fairfield. Eid services (on the two major annual Islamic holidays) are held jointly with all of the city's Muslim congregations. These have often been at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. In 2019 they were at the Finley Center in Hoover.

The BIS provides a variety of services for Muslims, including emergency financial assistance, educational and social events for the community, marriages, and burials. Each year during the Islamic month of Ramadan, the Society invites groups of non-Muslim guests to the Homewood center for evening meals, tours, and open discussion.

In February 2008 the Society opened the doors on the new Hoover Crescent Islamic Center in the former Point of Grace Church. The mosque, also termed masjid, serves mainly as a location for prayers and youth activities, complementing the Rosedale facility. A Red Crescent Clinic operates there on Sunday afternoons. The Islamic Academy remains in Rosedale.

The BIS also operates the West Side Masjid in Fairfield, which opened in early 2010, the Muslim Garden cemetery within Oakland Cemetery in Ensley and a mosque in Jasper.

References

External links