Mosque Islamic Center of Washington DC The Islamic studying

Islamic Center, the oldest mosque in Washington DC, is not only a favorite destination for residents of American Muslims visited, but also many non-Muslims who came there in search of knowledge and knowledge about Islam.

"We're trying to spread knowledge about Islam as the Qur'an teaches us, through wisdom and good guidance," Imam Abdullah M. Khouj, Director of the Center for Islamic Center - told Islam Online.net in an interview in his office.

A historic mosque, located in the heart of Washington on Massachusetts Avenue, is a destination for non-Muslims from America and abroad who come to join in a popular tour.

"Every day we receive 100-600 guests," said Imam Khouj.

Some tours conducted for the State Department official who will serve in the Islamic world or the students who will study in Muslim countries.

"They came to the Islamic Center and we give lectures and seminars on the situation in the Middle East and what to expect and how to behave in an Islamic country," explained the priest Khouj.

Islamic Center is the oldest mosque in the Washington Metropolitan area. "The mosque was built in 1947, and opened to the public in 1952," said the priest Khouj. When opened, the mosque has become the largest place of worship for Muslims in the Western Hemisphere.

Khouj said the idea of building a mosque was first born in 1944, when it was not a single mosque in the capital of the United States. "This is a joint effort of Muslims here and ambassadors of Islamic countries," he explained.

"Turkey's ambassador at the time discussed the possibility of particular U.S. city of Washington DC has a place for Muslims to practice their religion in the U.S., and it is this which makes what the mosque can exist." Islamic Center is managed by a board of directors that consists of all the ambassadors from Islamic countries accredited to the United States.

During the tour, the mosque officials also provide information about Islam, its teachings and the Prophet Muhammad and answer questions from visitors who are curious about Islam.

"Many were asking about the status of Jesus Christ in Islam, and I answered them that you can not become a true Muslim if you do not believe in Jesus," said Koroma Abbassie, coordinator of the group who visited the Islamic Center.

"The others asked me that if Islam is a tolerant and peaceful then why are there so many Muslims to become terrorists. I said that Islam had nothing to do with the wrongdoing committed by the individual."

Koroma was speaking after completing a tour to a group of Christian Sunday school who listened intently as he talked about the five pillars of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim.

"We came because I wanted the students to understand about Muslims, their religion," Tom Clumet, from Sunday School, told IOL.

Dean was one of the students, joined the tour because his friend was a Muslim and he wants to know more about the religion of his friend. "I got information that helped me. I feel to know Islam better now." Islamic Center is also the arrival of important figures for several years, including several presidents of various countries.

Islamic Center is a mosque which was chosen by President George W. Bush on September 17, 2001, just days after 9 / 11 attacks, to talk to Americans about Islam. Islamic Center, the oldest mosques in the Washington Metropolitan area, offers a variety of services to the local Muslim community.

Like the mosques throughout the U.S., the Islamic Center offers various services to the local Muslim community. "This place is central to every Muslim in the neighborhood," said the director of the Islamic Center Khouj. "We're trying to be a place of education, cultural and social center in addition to being a religious place."

This mosque also contains a big library with all sorts of books on Islam, and have classes to study Arabic, the Qur'an, Islamic law and other subjects related to Islam. "Unfortunately, space in the Islamic Center does not allow us to build a school here, but we managed to set Saturday and Sunday classes for six classes."

The mosque is also involved in the social life of society and try to solve some of their problems. "We do marriage counseling, we help people understand funeral and burial procedures, we try to help people who are not married to married," said the priest Khouj.

"We bought a large cemetery and is available for Muslims to bury those who died for free, because the cost of the funeral here in the United States is very expensive."

But the Islamic Center services are the most proud of is the program da `wah. "We have a large number of people who converted to Islam in here every month," said the priest Khouj. "We made a seminar for the converts, to engage in their new religion, so that they understand and have a clear vision, not just to follow certain methods."

Islamic Center Director also confirmed that their outreach beyond the mosque building. "We have the participants to help us send packages of books to institutions across the U.S., especially in prisons where people want to know about Islam," he said.

"And we received a letter from officials at several prisons are thankful to us because after receiving Muslim prisoners are changing their behavior and they become better human beings. Khouj trust by helping to spread the message of Islam is the main role to every mosque. "We send a lot of people to schools, organizations and prisons to give lectures about Islam.

"We're trying hard to hold fast to the teachings of our religion and the representation of Islam as it should." (Fq / IOL)