Junior Youth Group

What is ICSC?

 

History

The Islamic Center of Southern California (ICSC) was founded in 1952, as the first mosque in the Los Angeles area. It was located in a rented building on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood; as there were few Muslim-American families at the time, the Center attracted few attendees. In the early 1960s, the first wave of immigrant Muslims started attending institutions of higher education, and the first Muslim Student Associations (MSAs) were established at UCLA, USC and UCR. This slightly boosted attendance at the Center, which then prompted relocation to East Los Angeles.

 

In the 1960s, federal immigration laws became more receptive towards non-European immigrants, which then offered opportunities for Muslims of Asian, African and Middle Eastern descent to immigrate to the US. These Muslims were often wealthy and educated, or attending prestigious universities, and thus were concentrated in West LA (e.g. Beverly Hills) and Orange County. As the previous location in East Los Angeles was deemed too far, the Center then relocated to its current location in Downtown Los Angeles, near Wilshire and Vermont.

 

Since its rapid growth in the 1960s, the ICSC has been a vital force in the Muslim-American community, serving as a point of contact for community building and organizing, advocacy work, as well as interfaith dialogue. More importantly, ICSC has been instrumental in promoting an image of American Muslims as respectful, progressive, peaceful and faithful individuals who are eager to create a more inclusive, robust and equal society.

 

Importantly, ICSC prides itself on its inclusiveness: it sees Muslims as a religious group that does not discriminate regardless of race, gender identity, class etc. It has a strong commitment to gender equality, and members of all gender identities (e.g. men, women, gender-neutral etc.) are equally encouraged to participate in the activities of the Center. The Center absolutely prohibits any exclusionary activity within its grounds, and invites non-Muslims and members of other faiths to participate and engage in its activities and community.

 

Education

From its inception, ICSC has been an strong advocate for education, by not only providing spaces for Islamic religious education, but also educating non-Muslims about the Muslim faith, especially in the face of growing global Islamophobia.

 

In 1984, ICSC established the first New Horizon School as a preschool in South Pasadena. Currently, it is a fully-fledged Islamic preschool and elementary school committed to nurturing spiritual growth and developing God-consciousness through the teachings of Islam. It also has branches in Pasadena, Irvine, West LA, and is continually growing and expanding its reach.

 

The Muslim Youth Group was founded in the 1970s to provide a space for Muslim high school youth to cultivate, understand and express their Muslim-American identity. Further, it also offers a support system, instills a commitment to community service within and beyond the Muslim community, cultivates a sense of leadership, and helps develop foundations in basic Islamic Studies.

 

The Junior Youth Group was founded recently in 2014 to give middle school youth an Islamic enrichment program between the time they graduate New Horizon and enter the Muslim Youth Group. The program serves to build a foundation in Islamic religious education curriculum, and to sow the seeds of leadership, advocacy and faithfulness further developed by the Muslim Youth Group.

 

Muslim Public Affairs Council

Founded in 1986 as the “Political Action Committee of the Islamic Center of Southern California,” this organization later in 1988 became known as the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). Since its establishment, it has been instrumental in both international political efforts and in amplifying local Muslim-American representation in organizations, corporations and political institutions nationwide.

 

At the international level, some of MPAC’s past work has included:

• Representing the USA at international conferences such as the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

• Combating and denouncing Islamic extremism, through its “Counterterrorism Chronicle” publication inaugurated in 1995, which presents an anti-terrorist, Muslim-American perspective on national security issues

• Such anti-terrorist efforts have also taken the form of public condemnations and press releases, and have applied to the London terror attacks, the Madrid terror attacks, the anti-Shia attacks in Iraq etc.

• Promoting a peaceful and respectful approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict, through

• Honoring and thus drawing attention to films made by and about Muslims, including Three Kings about Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Wadjda and 5 Broken Cameras

 

At the local, national level, some of MPAC past work has included:

• Lobbying and advocacy work for faith-based organizations

• Hosting “The Rising Voice of Moderate Muslims,” an annual national convention in Long Beach, California, and inaugurated in December 2001

• Organizing coalition to withdraw President Bush’s nomination of Islamophobe Daniel Pipes to the US Institute of Peace in 2003, which then reduced Pipes’ appointment term from three years to one year

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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