Islamdale
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God says in the Holy Quran, "When comes the help of God and victory and you see the people enter God's religion in crowds, celebrate the praise of your Lord, and pray for his forgiveness, for He is oft returning in grace and mercy" (Nasr: 110). It is true that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA. There are presently about six million Muslims here. As a result, the number of Muslim organizations is growing at the same rapid rate. Every large American city presently has several Muslim organi- zations and mosques.Building a mosque is a prophetic tradition. The first thing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) built when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE was to build a mosque. However developing a community around the same area and attached to that mosque is more difficult. In 1915 before the Communists occupied Muslim Russia, there were 24,000 mosques. When their form of government col- lapsed in 1992, there were only 423 mosques, most of which were locked during week days.
It is easier to built a mosque than it is to build a community to support it. All you need to build a mosque is a donor, or a group of donors, the purchase of a piece of land and bricks, and the hiring of an architect to put them together.
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Muslims have made an impact on the evolution of American society. Historically Muslims have made major contribution, e.g. humanities, the sciences, and art. They ex- plored North America 300 years before the so-called "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus. They used the Mississippi river as their access route to and from the continent's interior. Here are a few glimpses of Muslim life in American History:
1178 A Chinese document know as the Sung Document records the voyage of Muslim sailors to a land know as Mu-Lan-Pi (America). Mention of this document is contained in the publication, the Khotan Amiers, 1933.
1310 Abu Bakari (Abu Bakar), a Muslim king of the Malian Empire, spearheads a series of sea voyages to the New World.
1312 African Muslims (Mandinga) arrive in the Gulf of Mexico for exploration of the American interior using the Mississippi River as their access route. These Muslim explor- ers were from Mali and other parts of West Africa.
1865 The American Civil War ends. During the war, the "scorched earth"
1513 Pri Ries completes his first world map, including the American, after research maps from all over the world. The practicality and artistry of his map surpassed any from his time or before.
1530 African slaves arrive in America. (continue on page 3)
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ICC. 511 S. Poplar St. Carbondale IL. 62901
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O tempora
O mores!
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Volume 1, December 2000
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