The Islamic Center of Greensboro was formed
in March of 1994 at its original Murrow Boulevard location,
beginning with a very small group of Muslims, having only 4
people gather for the first Jumu'ah service. The weekly attendance
grew to 150+ per week and in June of 1997 ICG relocated to Patterson
Street. Attendance reached 300+ per week before moving in June
of 2000 to the newly built masjid at 16th Street, where today
we happily greet 450+ Muslims per week for Jumu'ah services
and hope to see that number rise insha'Allah as more people
find out about ICG. We are already making plans to insha'Allah
expand our facility further to accomodate our rapidly growing
ummah, Alhamdulillah!
The Islamic Center of Greensboro is an active and thriving part
of the Islamic community, offering educational experiences and
social gatherings for our ummah. There are classes available
to learn Quran and Arabic. There are also classes for new Muslims
to learn about Hadith, Quran, Sunnah, living Islamically, and
also where they have the opportunity to meet other new Muslims
and form friendships and gain mentors among long-time and lifelong
Muslims. There are also occasional Quran recitation competitions
for adults with prizes awarded to the winners! We
also have Quran competitions for children in which they have
a chance to memorize Quran (age appropriate, even the very young
are able to participate!) and recite what they learned, competing
against their peers to determine who recites it best and most
accurately.
As well as classes for enriching the understanding of Islam
for all Muslims there is also a full-time school for children
and a weekend school for those who attend public school during
the week. The children in the full time school, Greensboro
Islamic Academy (GIA), receive a well-rounded education
approved by the North Carolina Board of Education and in addition
to academic studies they are taught about Islam and learn Quran
and Islamic concepts and principles.
The children enrolled in the weekend school have the chance
to form friendships with other Muslim children (they are often
the only Muslims in their classrooms at the public schools)
and are able to supplement their academic education with lessons
about their religion.
Occasionally we also have social gatherings such as family picnics
where all are welcome to come and share in food and fun. During
Ramadan we break the fast each day with a huge feast and all
are welcome. We also have overnight and/or weekend summer camps
for children and youth. The girls'
camp this year was a huge success with 40 girls in attendance
for a weekend of seminars and fun activities.
In addition to the many opportunities to enrich your understanding
of Islam and expand your network of Muslim friends, you are
also invited to the most wonderful of things, to worship Allah
(SWT) in our musallah five times a day for Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr,
Maghrib, and Isha, and especially for the Friday Jumu'ah service
in which the Khutbah is delivered in both English and Arabic.
To check the times for the prayers please click
here.
ICG in the Non-Muslim Community
ICG has been fortunate to have the opportunity to send
representatives to many different forums in the community to share
with others the beautiful Truth of Islam. We have had our members
speak at UNCG's multicultural day, at GTCC, at AT&T State
University, at the Daughters of Abraham Conference for Jewish,
Christian, and Muslim women, at the Womens' Interfaith conference,
at an Interfaith youth camp, and at over
50 local churches and a synagogue. We also host an annual open
house to invite non-Muslims into the masjid to learn about Islam.
These open house events bring hundreds of people to ICG and open
the door for many to a greater understanding and appreciation
of Islam. It is through activities such as these that we are able
to share with others the true nature of Islam and battle the often
stereotypically negative and false perceptions
that Islam is a violent religion at opposition with Jewish and
Christian people. It is through our voice and our actions that
we show our brotherhood with the other monotheistic religions
and our peaceful lifestyle. We thank and praise Allah (SWT) for
every chance we have to share with others the Truth and Beauty
of Islam, Alhamdulillah. |
