After moving to Los Angeles in 1978, Dr. Maher Hathout began a 40-year tenure with the Islamic Center as chairman, spokesperson and visionary. He became widely known as “Father of the American Muslim identity,” which emphasizes a vision of Islam in America rooted in his definition of home: “Home is not where my grandparents are...
The community continued to burst at the seams with the influx of new families every year, making the St. Andrews Place location too small for its growing needs. In the mid-70s, the Islamic Center began a fundraising drive to acquire a new location, and in 1976, moved to its present location at 434 S. Vermont...
As the Islamic Center community grew and more families flocked to Southern California, the Muslim Youth Group (MYG) became a natural offshoot of the Islamic Center, providing youth with ways to develop their American Muslim identity, socialize with peers and strengthen their Islamic knowledge. The MYG has fostered Muslim leadership and provided fellowship for over...
The Islamic Center moved from Fountain Avenue in Hollywood to a newly purchased building located on City Terrace Drive in East Los Angeles, the first building owned by the growing Muslim community. It was purchased from members of the Jewish community, which also used the building for their congregation meetings. The community continued to grow...
The Islamic Center hired Dr. Mohsen El-Biali, then the Director and Imam of the Washington D.C. Islamic Center, to lead the Islamic Center of Southern California as its director. Dr. Biali was a graduate of Al-Azhar University and a prolific writer and speaker who encouraged the growing community to become more involved in the community...
According to minutes of the April 1966 Board meeting, the Board of Directors approved bylaws, organized an Islamic library, purchased a Spirit duplicator, started a newsletter and maintained an answering service. It also voted to change its name to the Islamic Foundation of Southern California. With $8,315 in pledges, the community set up a committee...
The first mosque in Los Angeles was established as “a group of guys who wanted to get together to pray,” as one of the early founders Abed Awad put it. Originally the Moslem Association of America at Los Angeles served a small community of families in a rented building on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood. While...
