Islamic Center of North Marin
Address: 154 Hamilton Drive Novato, CA 94949 Telephone: (415) 299-1711 Website: http://www.islamiccenternm.org/ |
The Islamic Center of North Marin is at 154 Hamilton Drive in the city of Novato, California located in the county of North Marin, 94949. (data)
The mosque was founded fairly recently from a family's garage. Two years later, they moved into a converted office located on a quiet street in a business park area.
The mosque was founded fairly recently from a family's garage. Two years later, they moved into a converted office located on a quiet street in a business park area.
Small Start, Big Ideas
The Muslim community of the Islamic Center of North Marin can always be counted on for their hospitality. Whether it is people of their own faith, college students looking for answers about the culture, or even members of other religions; the Islamic Center of North Main never turns anyone away. Upon our arrival, Wednesday night to the mosque, we were offered freshly cut watermelon and coffee. For every question we asked them, they had a question for us, allowing the conversation to flow into a very relaxed dialogue back and forth as we learned about each other.
According to a 2013 interview, this Islamic Center was founded in 2006 in Novato, rather late compared to other established communities in the Bay Area. There was a growing population of Muslims in the city of Novato and one man first took notice and founded the Islamic Center of North Marin starting with the daily prayers held in his garage. Within two years, the mosque had enough popularity to expand to a larger space in a small business park in Marin County. According to the founder, Syed Ahmed, "eventually the population started growing even more, so that's why we moved [to the new facility]." The current location has two rooms and a small kitchen space, enough room for about eighty people to come and pray. Another aspect of the location is the acceptance and lack of judgement in the neighborhood. When asked if the mosque has faced any discrimination, Syed immediately said, "absolutely not. The person who owns this facility is Jewish and the subletter from [before us] is Christian. Our neighbors are very understanding and are from different walks of life."
In continuation of their incredible hospitality, we were invited to visit again. Syed and the other members of the mosque encouraged us to join them on Fridays for their most popular prayer of the week. We were also invited to the get together they have with family and friends on Friday evenings. Syed described it saying "people bring a dish to share and it's very social. It's not just about coming and praying, that's just one aspect of life. There is also education, career guidance, and legal aid [to assist members of the community]." Although this Islamic Center does not have the resources to provide some services that other bigger mosques can offer, they do a wonderful job of helping out where they can. They coordinate beginner Arabic courses, parent coaching classes, and small social gatherings; all of which are open to the public as well as the members of the mosque. One of the most interesting events the mosque has coordinated is their "Get to Know Your Neighbors" event. Over 300 people attended this free event where they had a chance to get to know each other and learn more about the mosque. The members of this Islamic Center also actively participate in outside programs, like Feed the Poor, a program center out of Novato. The Islamic Center has big plans for the future, including moving to a bigger facility as the need arises. It was a pleasure for our group to be able to spend a few hours talking to a few members about how the center was founded and the growth they have had in such a small amount of time. The center is relatively new compared to other mosques in the bay area which gave us a unique perspective on the beginning operations of a mosque. This project showed us that the differences between mosques are not used to make mosques superior over each other but to merely show that each mosque is unique. |
Converted prayer room
Blackboard use in Arabic class
|
Exploring Islam
A Muslim from the Mill Valley Islamic Center and Mosque explains the content of the five daily prayers and then joins other men in the congregation for the sundown prayer.
A Muslim from the Mill Valley Islamic Center and Mosque explains the content of the five daily prayers and then joins other men in the congregation for the sundown prayer.