The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is an

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic educational, social services, and community outreach organization in the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

neighborhood of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1989, it is the largest

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

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 Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

to foster community understanding and cooperation.

Mosque

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh (ICP) was founded in 1989 in the

neighborhood of

, Pennsylvania. It is the largest mosque in the city, regularly attracting 600 to 700 participants for the weekly prayer service. In December 2016, average attendance at Friday prayers was 750 participants.

Activities

ICP is actively involved in education, social services, and community outreach, extending its services to Muslims and non-Muslims in

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

, Eastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and Northern West Virginia. Its educational programs include workshops on Islamic practice, a Muslim youth center, a Sunday school, and a support group for converts to Islam. On the social services front, ICP operates a monthly

food pantry A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direct ...

in conjunction with the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. This service is open to both Muslims and non-Muslims. In response to anti-Muslim rhetoric and

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''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, and a course guiding non-Muslims to support and ally with those who practice Islam. It makes itself available to the media and participates in community panels to dispel myths about Islam. Following the 2015 San Bernardino attack in California, ICP hosted a series of interfaith dinners. A local

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

congregation, Temple Sinai, reciprocates by hosting ICP members for an annual

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

service and dinner.

Interfaith relations

ICP engages in interfaith dialogue with other faith groups and secular organizations. It holds an annual Humanity Day awards ceremony during

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, which honors Pittsburgh citizens who advance interfaith relations. ICP regularly extends invitations to members of other religious congregations, including Jewish and Lutheran, to tour its mosque. Following the

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

at the Tree of Life synagogue in neighboring

Squirrel Hill 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 a ...

, 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. As of November 1, the page has exceeded $220,000 in contributions.

References

External links

* {{Mosques in the United States, state=collapsed Mosques in Pennsylvania Islam in Pennsylvania Religious buildings and structures in Pittsburgh 1989 establishments in Pennsylvania

Mosque

Activities

Interfaith relations

See also

References

External links