The Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI) is a
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, ...
and
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
community center founded by the local
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
community in the city of
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
on August 28, 2004. It is one of the largest Muslim congregations in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, with an estimated 2,500.0 worshipers attending weekly programs, and offers a variety of services from youth programs (including an annual summer camp for children) to senior workshops and interfaith sports activities. The Islamic Center of Irvine is partnered with the
Islamic Society of Orange County in nearby
Garden Grove, the
Orange County Islamic Foundation in
Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...
, and the
Islamic Institute of Orange County in
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
. The center has also teamed up with various churches and recently signed a friendship pact and held an event with
Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America. ...
, one of the largest churches in the country.
Alleged FBI spying
A convicted con man, Craig Monteilh of
Tustin
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana, and does not include the un ...
, accused the FBI of running him as a paid informant in the Center from July 2006 to October 2007, and then reneging on its deal with him. He was instructed to attend daily prayers at least three times a day and to attend the Friday Jumuah prayers. His actions made the members of the Muslim community very uncomfortable.
A restraining order was later taken out against him.
Three members of the Center filed suit against the FBI and the United States in 2011 for violating several of their rights related to electronic surveillance during Monteilh's time as an informant. The case was initially dismissed by the
in August 2012 after the FBI asserted
state secrets privilege The state secrets privilege is an evidentiary rule created by United States legal precedent. Application of the privilege results in exclusion of evidence from a legal case based solely on affidavits submitted by the government stating that court ...
. The
Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District o ...
reversed this ruling in part, stating that under
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign po ...
, the plaintiffs' had a right to seek legal action against the FBI which overrode their use of their state secrets privilege.
The FBI appealed this ruling to the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
, which will hear the case during the 2021–22 term.
See also
*
List of mosques in the Americas
*
Lists of mosques
*
List of mosques in the United States
References
External links
*
Mosques in California
Culture of Irvine, California
Religious buildings and structures in Orange County, California
Buildings and structures in Irvine, California
Mosques completed in 2004
Islamic organizations established in 2004
2004 establishments in California
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