Islamic Center of America
| Islamic Center of America | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Location in the USA
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Dearborn, Michigan |
| Geographic coordinates | 42°19′48″N 83°13′47″W / 42.329965°N 83.229761°WCoordinates: 42°19′48″N 83°13′47″W / 42.329965°N 83.229761°W |
| Affiliation | Shia Islam |
| Country | United States of America |
| Year consecrated | 1964 2005 |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | David Donnellon |
| Architectural type | Islamic architecture |
| Construction cost | $14 million |
| Specifications | |
| Dome height (outer) | 150-feet |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
| Minaret height | 10 stories tall |
The Islamic Center of America (Arabic: المركز الإسلامي في اميركا) is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. Although the institution dates back to 1964, the new mosque on Ford Road in Dearborn opened in 2005. It is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States. With its large Shia Arab population (consisting mostly of Lebanese), Dearborn is often called the "heart of Shiism" in the United States.
The Islamic Center of America is located at 19500 Ford Road in Dearborn. The institution was founded in 1962 by Muhammad Jawad Chirri, who remained its director until his death in 1994.
The mosque was vandalized in January 2007 with anti-Shia graffiti. Many in the community believed that the vandalism was the result of recurrent sectarian tensions with the American Sunni Muslim community over the Iraq war and its Shia-Sunni conflict.
On January 24, 2011, an Imperial Beach, California man named Roger Stockham was arrested and charged with terrorism after attempting to blow up the Islamic Center of America. Stockham was reported to be a convert to Sunni Islam who was targeting the Shi'ite community, and had a history of mental illness and firearms offenses.
On April 21, 2011, the day before the scheduled appearance of Pastor Terry Jones, hundreds of people from different faiths gathered in a show of solidarity. Jews, Christians and other faith groups stood side by side with inter-locked arms in opposition to Jones' planned protest.
The mosque operates the Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA), an Islamic elementary and middle school.
...
Wikipedia