Islamic Cultural Center of New York

The Islamic Cultural Center of New York is a mosque and an Islamic cultural center in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, United States. It is located at 1711 Third Avenue, between East 96th and 97th Streets. The Islamic Cultural Center was one of the first mosques built in New York City. The mosque's older dwelling in a townhouse at 1 Riverside Drive is still in continual prayer use as a satellite location.

Islamic Cultural Center of New York
Exterior view (2008)
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Location
Location	1711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10029 United States
Geographic coordinates	40°47′7″N 73°56′55″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Type	Mosque
Style	post-modernism
Groundbreaking	1987
Completed	1991
Construction cost	$14 million
Specifications
Direction of façade	Mecca
Capacity	Main prayer hall: 1,000
Dome height (outer)	90 feet (27 m)
Minaret height	130 feet (40 m)
Materials	Steel, concrete, marble, glass
Website
icc-ny.us

Design and history

Plans for a large Islamic center in New York were originally drawn up in the late 1960s as the first cultural center occupied a location at 1 Riverside Drive by 72nd Street.[1] The first Islamic Center started functioning on a small scale from a modest townhouse at that address. However, the board of trustees later aspired to build a new larger center in a way suiting its prestigious position in the community, and to be one of the landmarks of New York City.[1] Later, an overall project comprising a mosque, a school, a library, a museum, and a lecture hall, were planned out. After years of delays which included raising funds from Muslim countries, a prolonged process of relocating tenants, and the eventual demolition of the buildings on the site; construction of the Islamic Cultural Center began in October 1984.[2] Construction of the associated mosque began on May 28, 1987, the day which corresponded to the end of Ramadan.[3] The cornerstone of the minaret was laid on September 26, 1988.[4]

Construction was delayed during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait and the First Gulf War.[5] The mosque opened on April 15, 1991, for the feast of Eid ul-Fitr.[6] In the end, more than 46 Muslim countries made contributions toward the $17 million construction cost of the mosque.[7]

One Riverside Drive, the site of New York's first Islamic cultural center

Today, like most mosques, the mosque at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York is oriented toward Mecca at a heading of 58°.[8] Consequently, the building is rotated 29° from Manhattan's north-south street grid,[9] which in turn is rotated 29° from due north-south. The precise calculation of the direction from New York to Mecca was based on the great circle that produces the shortest distance between the two cities.[8] As with many mosques, the direction of Mecca is marked inside by a niche on the wall, known as the mihrab.[10] Placed in the center of the large room, the mihrab is ornamented with a large design. Additionally, next to the mihrab is the minbar, which is a staircase from which the imam leads prayer.

Outreach

Imam Abu-Namous engaged in a series of interfaith dialogues with prominent Muslim leaders and rabbis.[11] Abu-Namous's successor as imam, Mohammed Shamsi Ali, continued the meetings.[12] Due to political differences, Ali was fired from his post in 2011.[13] Ali was replaced with Abdul Razzaq E. Al Amiri.

Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha, a week after his resignation, stated he had received death threats which partially explained his reason to return to Egypt.

See also

• List of mosques in the Americas
• Lists of mosques
• List of mosques in the United States
• Islam in the United States
• Islamic architecture
• Park51, canceled mosque in the World Trade Center area

References

1. "Islamic Cultural Center NY Background". Islamic Cultural Center of New York. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
2. Goodman, George W. (October 28, 1984). "Ground Broken for Islamic Center". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
3. Williams, Winston (May 29, 1987). "Amid Rejoicing, Work Begins on Mosque". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
4. Lewis, Paul (September 26, 1988). "Mosque Rising Is a First in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
5. Goldman, Ari L. (December 9, 1990). "Persian Gulf Crisis Slows New York Mosque Project". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
6. Steinfels, Peter (April 16, 1991). "For New York Muslims, a Soaring Dome Is Ready". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
7. Dunlap, David W. (April 26, 1992). "A New Mosque for Manhattan, for the 21st Century". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
8. Tyson, Neil deGrasse. "Islamic Cultural Center of New York". Natural History. American Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
9. Schneider, Daniel B. (October 5, 1997). "The Islamic Angle". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
10. Jews, Christians, Muslims : a comparative introduction to monotheistic religions. Denny, Frederick Mathewson., Eire, Carlos M. N., Jaffee, Martin S., Corrigan, John, 1952- (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. 2012. ISBN 9780205018253. OCLC 695390082.CS1 maint: others (link)
11. Perelman, Marc (November 16, 2007). "With Certain Topics Kept off Table, Rabbis and Imams Find Common Ground". The Forward. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
12. Ruby, Walter (April 2, 2008). "Imam Seeks 'Real Connections'". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
13. "Shamsi Ali: The rise and fall of a New York imam". BBC News. November 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.

Further reading

• "Mohammedans Now Have a Place of Worship Here" (PDF). The Sun. February 25, 1912.

External links

• Official website
• Islamic Cultural Center of New York at New York Architecture Images
• Islamic Cultural Center of New York at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill