IMAAM Center Realizes 20 Year Old Dream

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For hundreds of Indonesian-American families and Maryland Muslims, "grand opening" couldn't have more meaning than it did on Friday, September 26, 2014.

 

After two decades, the dream of establishing a masjid and community center in Maryland finally became a reality, and the presidential benefactor who facilitated a three million dollar donation to purchase a church and convert it to a masjid came with a delegation to witness the opening of the Indonesian Muslim Association in America (IMAAM) in Silver Spring, Maryland.

IMAAM purchased the two-level, 11,300 square foot church located at 9100 Georgia Avenue in June of this year with a grant from the Indonesian government, approved by President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who attended the grand opening along with his wife and the presidential delegation.

The remodeled church includes a large prayer area and smaller assembly rooms. The grand opening ceremony included juma' prayer led by founding IMAAM member Firdaus Kadir. President Yudhoyono led his delegation in 'Asr prayer immediately afterward; the group traveled overnight from New York where President Yudhoyono was attending the United Nations gathering of world leaders.

IMAAM invited representatives from area Muslim organizations. Some area leaders and activists in attendance included All Dulles Area Muslims Association (ADAMS) President Syed Moktadir, ADAMS Board of Trustees Chairman Rizwan Jaka, Dr. Iqbal Yunus from the Fairfax Institute, Imam of the Islamic Society of the Washington Area (ISWA) Faizul Khan, and Sister Asma Hanif, director of the Muslimat An-Nisaa women's shelter. Numerous diplomats from Muslim countries as well as local interfaith leaders also attended.

 

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The president signs a ceremonial stone as IMAAM President Arif Mustofa looks on. (Photos courtest of IMAAM.)

 

As is typical with a visit from a head of state, the invitation only event had tight security which included a large presence from the Montgomery County Police Department as well as federal agents. The ceremony began about an hour before juma' prayer with lunch served to all guests. A live translation was available to guests via wireless headsets.

After a recitation from the Qur'an, IMAAM President Arif Mustofa thanked Allah and President Yudhoyono for allowing the organization to reach this day. He said the strategic location of the new center – close to Washington DC and Northern Virginia and to the metro system – would allow Muslims and guests from around the region to participate in the activities at IMAAM. "The doors of goodness will be wide open to those who want peace," said Mustofa.

US Department of State's Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik Zafar spoke next, congratulating the IMAAM community on the realization of their dream. "The Muslim community is an integral part of America. What can we do to make an impact? Engagement," said Zafar. He also took the opportunity to comment on the Indonesian President's recent speech regarding how to deal with the threat of terrorism and extremism. "We fully agree with your speech about using soft power to confront extremist groups like ISIL," said Zafar, adding that stopping the flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq was critical.

 

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Indonesian President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leads Asr prayer for his delegation which traveled from the United Nations conference in New York to participate in IMAAM's grand opening.

 

President Yudhoyono's address began with praising and thanking Allah for this day, and sending salutations on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his companions, and the Muslim ummah. Saying the world was losing compassion and peace, the outgoing President prayed that the IMAAM center would be "a house of Allah and a house of peace, love, and tolerance." He repeated "peace, love, and tolerance" in English several times throughout his speech. The Muslim ummah should be known as the community of "peace, love, and tolerance" because it "has everything [it] needs in the Qur'an and Hadith, and Islam is nothing but a blessing to all humanity, 'rahmatul-lil-'alameen'." The Prophet (peace be upon him) was able to unite different cultures, so "we want to show that we foster 'ukhuwwah' [brotherhood] among all [people]," said President Yodhoyono.

In an implicit message to President Obama on America's military interventions across the Muslim world, the Indonesia President said "Islam asks us to uphold what is right and to fight 'munkar' [wrong doing], but you cannot fight munkar with munkar." Saying killings and suicide bombings in the Middle East have smeared the name of Islam and caused "America to be suspicious of [Muslims]," President Yodhoyono appealed to extremists to "come back to the right path." On the need for Muslims to educate their children about Islam, President Yodhoyono said "Islam is the most misunderstood religion in the world, and the most misunderstood by Muslims."

"How can we reduce the level of animosity here? There must be other solutions other than military solutions. We ask Allah to help us find the permanent solutions [to the world crisis], the soft power, and the smart power. We must stop [military solutions] from happening before the world regrets it. There must be a paradigm shift in the West and in the way Muslims see the West ... this is my desire that IMAAM center becomes part of that goal," said President Adhoyono to applause. "IMAAM must be an open space for friendships ... and inclusiveness, be the House of Allah, the community that upholds peace, love, and tolerance."

The ceremony closed with a dua from IMAAM center Imam Fahmi Zubair and then the Muslim guests proceeded to the masjid area for juma' prayer. The topic of the khutbah was pluralism and Islam.

Over the years, IMAAM partnered with local service and advocacy organizations like the DC Central Kitchen, the Arab Muslim Sikh Advisory Council, the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, and the Asian American Health Institute. Every year, IMAAM also participates in the City of Rockville's Food Basket Program.

IMAAM's board is keen on making sure the center is for all area Muslims, not just Indonesian-Americans. "I'm not Indonesian, but I just jumped in [to help start this masjid]. They are very nice people, and we really needed [a masjid] in this area," said Abdulmalik Shifa, an immigrant from Ethiopia who was volunteering during the grand opening.

To learn more about IMAAM, visit their website at www.imaam.org.

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