Dar al-Islam (organization) explained
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Dar al-Islam is a Muslim educational center located near Abiquiú, New Mexico, US.
History
It was the first planned Islamic community in the United States. It was originally co-founded in 1979 by Nuridin Durkee, an American who had converted to Islam; Sahl Kabbani, a Saudi businessman; and Abdullah Omar Nasseef, a former secretary-general of the World Muslim League. Kabbani reportedly contributed $125,000 to the non-profit Lama Foundation that was formed to create the community, while the bulk of the start up funds were said to have come from the Riyadh Ladies’ Benevolent Association of Saudi Arabia, and several daughters of the late Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The foundation purchased its first 1000acres site from Alva Simpson, a well-established rancher along the Chama, for $1,372,000. The land included the 400acres mesa top, plus 600acres below the mesa – a lush, fertile tract along the Chama River.
At its height, the community served some 60 students, employed seven full-time teachers, and partially supported itself through resident entrepreneurial efforts. By 1990, however, the project was suffering from attrition. Although it never fully achieved its original intent as a residential community for American Muslims, it did succeed in remaining viable as an educational facility. Today it provides religious instruction, retreats and camps for its residents and other Muslims, as well as teaching workshops on Islam for public and private institutions.
Architecture
The mosque and madrasa (religious school) were designed by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and were constructed of adobe by Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order builders. The main buildings were completed in 1981, and Dar al-Islam opened in 1982.
Sources
- Book: Barakat, Heba . The Dar al Islam Mosque and complex, Abiquiu, New Mexico : mosques of the United States of America . Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia . 2014 . 9789832591078 . Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . 921930832.
- Chidester . Dianne Lynn . 1999 . My Two Weeks at Mosque Camp: A Report on Dar al Islam in Abiquiu, New Mexico . Teaching Anthropology: Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges Notes . Wiley . 6 . 1 . 27–33 . 10.1525/tea.1999.6.1.27 . 1537-1751.
- Book: Curtis, Edward . Encyclopedia of Muslim-American history . Facts on File . 2010 . 9781438130408 . New York . 134 . Dar al-Islam community (New Mexico) . 650849872 . .
- Dar al Islam Abiquiu Program Site . Fathy . Hassan . 2008-11-21 . MIT Libraries . 2019-10-23 .
- Book: Kahera, Akel . Deconstructing the American mosque : space, gender, and aesthetics . University of Texas Press . 2002 . 9780292798366 . Austin . 17–18, 81–87 . 55889932.
- Book: Kahera, Akel Ismail . The Cambridge Companion to American Islam . 2013-08-12 . Cambridge University Press . 9781139026161 . 228–245 . Muslim Spaces and Mosque Architecture . 10.1017/cco9781139026161.016 . 855793779.
- Web site: Community Of Muslims Finds Desert Fertile Land . Niebuhr . Gustav . 1996-05-05 . The New York Times . 2019-10-29 .
- Web site: New Mexico's tiny Islamic community spreads a message of inclusion, calm to neighbors . Rayburn . Rosalie . 2016-06-03 . Albuquerque Journal . 2019-10-28 .
- Schleifer . S. Abdullah . 1984 . Hassan Fathy's Abiquiu: An Experimental Islamic Educational Center in Rural New Mexico . Ekistics . 51 . 304 . 56–60 . 0013-2942 . 43620415 . 5987894730 .
- Book: Stegers, Rudolf . Sacred buildings : a design manual . Birkhäuser . 2008 . 9783764382766 . Basel; Boston . 210–211 . Dar Al Islam Mosque . 10.1007/978-3-7643-8276-6_63 . .
- Web site: Dar al Islam: The Code and the Calling . Tracy . William . May–June 1988 . Saudi Aramco World . 20–29 . 1530-5821 . 50987463 . 2019-10-28 .
External links
