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Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis
AKA: Islamic Center of St. Louis
DESCRIPTION: The Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis has two facilities. The West County Islamic Center of St. Louis, consisting of Daar-ul-Islam mosque and Al-Salam Day School, is located in Manchester, Missouri, and the Islamic Center at West Pine is at 3843 W. Pine near the campus of Saint Louis University. Imam Muhammad Nur Abdullah is spiritual leader of the Islamic Center.
ADDRESS: 517 Weidman Road, Manchester, MO 63011; mailing address: P. O. Box 240219, Ballwin, MO 63024.
LOCATION: The mosque and day school are in West St. Louis County; the West Pine Islamic Center is in St. Louis near the campus of Saint Louis University.
PHONE NUMBERS: Mosque: 636-394-7878; day school: 636-394-8986; Islamic Center: 314-531-8646. To schedule a visit, please call the Islamic Speaker Bureau at 314-770-1340.
WEB SITE: http://islamicfoundationstlouis.org/ifgstl
GETTING THERE: From downtown St. Louis, take I-64/40 West and exit on Mason Road South. Continue south on Mason Drive to Clayton Road. Take Clayton Road West to Weidman Road which is the first traffic light. Turn south on Weidman Road to the Center.
HOURS: Office hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun.-Mon. and Wed.-Fri. Tours of the Islamic Center are by appointment only and can be arranged for 10 a.m.-2:45 p.m. or 1:30-3 p.m. Tues. or Thurs. Tours take 45 minutes. Morning tours must be completed by 12:45 p.m. to allow for afternoon prayer time.
ADMISSION: Free
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Daar-ul-Islam is the center of the St. Louis Muslim community. Approximately 600 people attend Friday congregational prayer called the Jum'ah at the mosque or masjid. Some 2,000-3,000 people attend the two major holy days of the Islamic year: Eid al-Fitr, which ends the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, a festival of sacrifice, which occurs during the annual pilgrimage.
- The West County building is a striking structure of squares, domes, octagons, columns and other strict geometric forms constructed of concrete block with limestone chips on the face to resemble stone.
- A minaret on the building is purely decorative without stairs or interior. It is a symbolic reminder that once the muezzin (crier) climbed to a small balcony atop a similar tower and called Muslims to prayer five times each day.
- The building's hemisphere dome was made on the ground from eight aluminum segments, painted bronze and lifted into place by a crane. The building's architect calls the style Islamic-American, which uses traditional geometry and symbols in a way that blends in with the buildings in West County. The building was designed by Muslim Saleem Rangwala, an architect with Chiodini Associates.
- The heart of the building is the prayer hall where Muslim men and women pray five times a day. The 58-foot-high room - a perfect square according to Islamic tradition - is topped with a dome ringed at its base by windows. The room, reflecting light from its white walls, is flooded with natural light from the windows around the dome and large arched windows along the walls. The only color in the room is from a green, white and red carpet. Stripes in the carpet mark rows where the men kneel and bow their heads to the floor.
- A niche in the center of the east wall is empty because Muslims do not use images of God or holy people. It functions as a directional indicator for Mecca, the holy city in Saudi Arabia.
- The prayer room is aligned at 40 degrees northeast so that worshippers face Mecca, the holy city in Saudi Arabia as prescribed by their beliefs. A Muslim scholar who travels around the world with a special compass to check directions affirmed the placement.
- The balcony where women pray out of the men's view is on the west side of the room.
- In addition to the worship center, the facility houses a six-room preschool and elementary school on the lower level, a lecture hall and study rooms, a community dining room and a kitchen.
- Congregation members come from more than 30 nations, and about 160 children attend the day school.
WHAT'S COMING UP: In Phases 2 and 3 of the building project, a library, a gymnasium and a new wing for the school will be built. No dates for the new additions have been set.
ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: The Islamic Foundation holds a spring bazaar in May and a fall bazaar in October.
HISTORY: In 1965, a small group of Muslims formed a local chapter of the Muslim Students Association, a group that has its headquarters in Gary, Indiana. Initially, the group met for prayers and other activities at facilities provided by St. Louis University. As the group increased to 100 members, it began to hold prayer meetings at the International Institute.
In 1974, the group incorporated as the Islamic Center of Greater St. Louis, a non-profit organization, and began to look for a building of their own. The next year they purchased a building at 3843 West Pine Boulevard from Wolf Construction Co. The building, on the edge of the St. Louis University campus, was formerly an office building. Following a successful fund-raising event in 1982, the building was extensively renovated.
As the years rolled by, the group's leaders realized that with the continued growth of the Islamic community in St. Louis, a larger facility was needed. In 1987, the organization purchased five acres of horse-grazing pasture land across from Queeny Park. Fund-raising continued to raise the money for construction of a new building.
On Nov. 27, 1992, a groundbreaking ceremony was held. Christian and Jewish community leaders attended the event. County Executive Buzz Westfall declared the day "Muslim Awareness Day. The building opened in November 1995.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSABILITY: The mosque and the day school are handicapped accessible.
WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants along Manchester Road just west
of the Islamic Foundation.
WHAT'S NEARBY: Queeny County Park, the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog is across the street from the Islamic Center and the Museum of Transportation is nearby.
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Aisha Wilawen, Administrator, 636-394-7878, if_daar_ul_islam@yahoo.com
Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com
