Birmingham Islamic Society
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 Ashfaq Taufique.
The organization grew out of the Muslim Student Association at UAB. It changed its name in the early 1990s and moved into the former Rosedale School building in the historic Rosedale community in Homewood. This building 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 Rosedale center, 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, often at the Alabama State Fairgrounds.
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.
References
- Bryan, Kim (October 21, 2006) "Christians, Jews find faiths linked at Islamic center." The Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (October 13, 2007) "Muslims looking forward to new Bluff Park mosque." The Birmingham News
- Velasco, Eric (February 17, 2008) "New mosque in Hoover opens its doors for an open house." The Birmingham News
- DeVries, Annalise (September 1, 2012) "The Faithful: The city's Muslim community finds a home" B-Metro
External links
- Birmingham Islamic Society
- Karim Shamsi-Basha and Ann Walton Sieber. "Birmingham 9 to 5." Saudi Aramco World 57 (6) (November/December 2006): 33-43.