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Over the last couple of weeks, Chairman Abdul Malik Mujahid, along with Br.
Farid al-Taqi, has been meeting with the leaders of Chicago’s South side mosques
to discuss issues which can be addressed by the Council, what each of their
expectations of the Council is, and how the Council can work together with our
members in the South side to make the dreams of a unified diverse Muslim
community a reality.
The
Mosque of Umar, located in the south east corner of the city, holds the
distinction of being one of the oldest mosques in the greater Chicago area. It
was for several years the only mosque with a majority African American
congregation that was a member of the Council. The Mosque of Umar has recently
started some social services initiatives, including a health clinic. Imam
Ibrahim echoes the sentiments of other South side leaders, when discussing the
importance of unity.
Masjid al-Taqwa on
89th and Ashland, is located on the third floor of their building,
and is one of the Council’s newest members. Dr. Mikal Ramadan, a doctor of
emergency medicine, is the president and lead imam of the mosque. Currently,
approximately 25 men and 30 women regularly offer their Friday prayers at Masjid
al-Taqwa, and the community, which is affiliated with the ministry of Imam
Warith al-Deen Muhammad, is looking for a more permanent location for their
mosque.
Masjid ah-Ihsan is a
beautiful rectangular mosque located at 227 E. 51st
Street. Imam
Abdullah Madyun, who studied at Madina University, regularly
leads some members of his congregation in dawah on the streets of their
neighborhood, and discussed with the Council his desire to establish a Dawah
Center. This congregation is no stranger to doing
Dawah on the tough streets of Chicago; Chairman Mujahid remembers doing dawah
there decades ago with NkoNiso Abdullah. While there are regular adult
classes at Masjid al-Ihsan, and Friday prayers attended by nearly 40 congregants
each week, the children are sent to study Arabic and Islamic studies at a
neighboring mosque, Masjid al Farooq, demonstrating the will of these two
mosques to work together.
All
the imams and leaders of these mosques are anchors of their communities, and
have been dedicated activists serving their congregations for years, whether
initiating social services in underserved neighborhoods, or attending to the
individual spiritual and practical needs of their congregants. The Council
leadership discussed the need for the South side mosques to unite, as well as
the need in most of these mosques for basic Islamic schooling for children.
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