The Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN) is a vibrant and inclusive community hub located in Naperville, Illinois, dedicated to serving the religious, educational, and cultural needs of Muslims in the Naperville area and its surrounding cities and towns. Established in 1991 as a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of Illinois, ICN has grown into one of the most prominent Islamic centers in the Midwest, welcoming individuals and families from diverse backgrounds.

Historical Background

The roots of ICN trace back to the 1970s and 1980s when a group of far-sighted Muslims established the Naperville Islamic School as an affiliate of the Muslim Community Center (MCC) in Chicago. Initially, the weekend school was held on Friday nights at Naperville North High School and later at Woodridge School in Lisle to save costs.

By 1983, the community had raised $15,000 to acquire a building for a masjid but postponed their plans when the Islamic Foundation purchased a building in Villa Park. In 1984, members of this group, along with others, formed the Qur’anic Study Club at Bell Laboratories, a prominent local employer. Regular Jumu’ah prayers began at Bell Laboratories during this time, while Isha’ prayers and Taraweeh were held in community members’ homes.

By the late 1980s, the need for a dedicated physical space became undeniable. In the early 1990s, the community purchased a building on Olesen Drive, formerly owned by a religious group, to establish the Islamic Center of Naperville. Since then, ICN has experienced rapid growth, particularly during Ramadan and Eid prayers, when the community often outgrows its current facility and seeks larger venues to accommodate the increasing numbers. Today, ICN holds two Jumu’ah prayer sessions each week, with both sessions often filled to capacity.

Mission

The mission of the Islamic Center of Naperville is to grow into a masjid-centric community dedicated to the obedience of Allah (SWT), the Creator, the Provider, the Most Beneficent, and the Most Merciful. ICN focuses on:

• Raising Muslim generations grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah as taught by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and practiced by his companions.
• Providing a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for Muslims and interested non-Muslims of all ages.
• Serving as a second home and extended family for the community, fostering a sense of belonging and unity.

Vision

ICN envisions a vibrant community where its centers serve as a second home and extended family, especially for the youth. The center aims to achieve this through:

• Religious services and education, including daily prayers, Jumu’ah, Taraweeh, and Islamic studies.
• Youth programs and leadership development to engage and empower young Muslims.
• Charitable work to support those in need locally and globally.
• Full-time and weekend schools to provide quality Islamic and academic education for children.
• Interfaith activities to promote communal harmony and mutual understanding.

Facilities and Services

ICN boasts a range of facilities, including a spacious prayer hall, classrooms, a library, and multipurpose spaces for community events. The center also provides separate areas for men and women, ensuring a comfortable and respectful environment for all worshippers.

Programs and Activities

ICN offers a wide range of programs catering to all age groups:

• Religious Services: Daily prayers, Jumu’ah (Friday) prayers, and Taraweeh during Ramadan.
• Educational Programs: Quran classes, Islamic studies for children and adults, and Arabic language courses.
• Youth Activities: Youth groups, leadership development, and recreational activities.
• Community Outreach: Interfaith dialogues, open houses, and charitable initiatives.
• Social Events: Family gatherings, cultural celebrations, and community dinners.

Interfaith and Community Engagement

ICN is deeply committed to building bridges with the wider community. The center regularly hosts interfaith events, collaborates with local organizations, and participates in civic activities to promote mutual understanding and cooperation. Through its outreach efforts, ICN aims to dispel misconceptions about Islam and highlight its message of peace and compassion.

Charitable Initiatives

Guided by the Islamic principles of charity and service, ICN actively supports local and global humanitarian causes. The center organizes food drives, fundraising campaigns, and volunteer opportunities to address issues such as poverty, homelessness, and disaster relief.

Leadership and Volunteers

ICN is led by a dedicated team of imams, board members, and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the center’s success. Their efforts are driven by a shared commitment to serving the community and upholding the values of Islam.

Visit ICN

Whether you are a Muslim seeking a welcoming community or someone interested in learning more about Islam, the Islamic Center of Naperville invites you to visit and experience its warm and inclusive atmosphere. Join ICN in its mission to inspire faith, foster understanding, and make a positive impact in the world.

Contact Information

• Address: 2844 W Ogden Ave, Naperville, IL 60540, USA
• Phone: +1 (630) 426-3335
• Fax: +1 (630) 428-3737
• Email: info@icnmasjid.org
• Website: www.icnmasjid.org

With the help of Inspire FM, a Luton community group, 13 mosques across the town took part in a dedicated Friday money collection to purchase edible goods.

Salma Khan, director of operations at Luton Foodbank, said she was “delighted” by “truly amazing and heart-warming” donations.

She said the Muslim community support the charity throughout the year but this year more groups came together.

“This is the first time so many mosques have united to support us”, Ms. Khan added. “It’s so nice to see every part of the community taking part, it’s amazing, truly heart-warming.”

She said the money had already made “a huge difference” and meant there were enough donations for over the festive period and into early January, when donations can dip.

She added: “Christmas is a time of year that people who don’t have much are forced to spend money on gifts, food and heating, so it pushes a lot of people into crisis.”

Mohammed Tariq, from Inspire FM, said: “We are deeply appreciative of the mosques coming together to support the local Foodbank during this critical time. This act of unity and generosity truly reflects their core values.”

Maqsood Anwar, from the Madinah Masjid mosque, said it has supported the “much-needed” foodbank for over a decade and “we are more than happy to help”.

Allama Qazi Abdul Aziz Chisti MBE said: “Feeding the hungry is one of our duties as Muslims.”

Elizabeth Stringer, the chairman of the foodbank, said: “With higher numbers of people using the foodbank, all contributions will help with food distribution throughout the colder months.”

Source: BBC

In the kitchen of a nondescript building in suburban Shawnee, Kansas, half a dozen women grind pounds of walnuts in a food processor, melting multiple sticks of butter while reducing sugar water into a clear, light syrup. They are making baklava, the sweet and flaky pastry with origins in the Middle East and Mediterranean that goes back centuries.

“They are chopping the nuts into teeny, tiny pieces,” says Serpil Taslama, 39, a former English teacher who moved to Kansas City, Missouri, from Austin, Texas, 10 years ago. Now, she is a volunteer with the Dialogue Institute of Kansas City, a local chapter of a national organization started in the 1960s by Muslim people of Turkish heritage to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding.

She turns to a long table where three other volunteers are pouring copious amounts of the tiny nuts. “Now they’ll spread it on the phyllo dough, roll it around the sticks, and squeeze it.”

The sticks are like those used by drummers. The women roll tissue-thin, nut-filled phyllo dough around them, creating a two-inch tube, scrunched together and slathered with hot, clarified butter before baking it to a golden crisp.

Every year for the last decade, the Kansas City Dialogue Institute has shared baklava with families, friends and strangers of different faiths and from different communities. It started when one or two members began delivering the Middle Eastern treat to neighbors and friends during their winter holidays. Today, they drop off around 400 boxes at nonprofits, churches, synagogues and institutions across metropolitan Kansas City.

While the baklava is baking, Taslama and the other volunteers serve Turkish coffee and Turkish Delight, a chewy, fruity candy with many variations. This one is fresh and light, made from pomegranate, coconut flakes and nuts.

The tradition of gifting baklava in Kansas City grew as many people across faiths and cultures welcomed their Islamic friends into their homes, churches and synagogues, Taslama says. They sponsored pre-dawn breakfasts or dinners after days of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. They shared their traditions, with invitations to Shabbat dinners, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Chanukah celebrations.

“As this season is a special time, we want to celebrate with you,” Taslama says of the baklava gifts. “If you are celebrating Christmas, we are saying ‘Merry Christmas, we celebrate you with baklava.’ But for our Jewish friends, Chanukah this year is Dec. 26, so we give baklava with a card that says Happy Chanukah. We say this season is important to you, so it is important to us.”

At a nearby table are cards drawn by young members of the Dialogue Institute, with illustrations of wreaths, angels and menorahs.

Uncertain Origins

No one knows for certain where baklava began. Speculation ranges from its appearance in the 8th century BCE Assyrian Empire, centuries later with the “Placenta cake” of the ancient Greeks and Romans, or as a gift for elite soldiers from Ottoman sultans in a “Baklava Procession,” according to Ottoman food historian Mary Isin.

Ottoman Christians made it with 40 layers of dough for 40 days of Lent. Dignitaries and royalty offered it for significant occasions to spread along trade routes during the 16th century height of the Ottoman Empire.

Jews across the empire started making it for Rosh Hashanah and Purim.

Today, assorted styles are mainly regional. Common ingredients are walnuts, pistachio nuts and almonds. All recipes use some kind of sweet liquid.

Algerian baklava features orange-blossom water. In Iran, it is made with rose water and cardamom. In Greece and Turkey, sugar water, honey and lemon syrup.

‘Feeling Part of the U.S.A.’

After 20 minutes, the women pull trays of golden baklava out of the oven, saturating the room with the aroma of buttery, fresh-baked pastry.

The rolls are bathed in light sugary syrup that seeps into the crispy folds of baked dough.

Mine Dogan, 31, another Dialogue Institute volunteer, lets the baklava cool before cutting. This allows the syrup to soak through.

“Sometimes we wait for baklava to be cold and put hot sugar on,” she says. “Sometimes hot baklava with cold sugar. We will wait a bit, and it will be ready to eat.”

As we sit down with small plates of the crunchy dessert, Marika Dalbudak, 32, says the tradition has helped her, and her family, feel part of her neighborhood.

“As a family, giving baklava makes us partners and friends,” she says. “We sometimes feel different but with this I am feeling part of the U.S.A. It’s good for me.”

For Dogan, it is a kind of cultural reciprocity.

“My children, they know Thanksgiving, Christmas,” she says. “They start to know even Halloween, that there’s no turkey at Halloween, but other good stuff! We are all learning, step by step,” she says with a laugh.

Welcoming Into Homes

A few days after the baking, another pair of volunteers, Aysegul and Serkan Balyimez, both scientists, drop off some baklava at the downtown apartment of Kristin Riegel, Mark Wilkins and their 20-month-old son, Philip.

Toys are neatly stacked on shelves. Philip is sweeping with a tiny broom.

“He’s been so excited for this,” his mother says. “Our apartment is so clean!” A child’s easel has “Welcome, Friends” written in large letters in the center of the small living room. The table is set with bowls of cut fruit, plates and cups.

“Welcome. We’re so glad you’re here,” Riegel says cheerily. “And if there’s anything the Dialogue Institute has taught us, it’s that no gathering can be without coffee or tea,” she says, gesturing to an ample spread of teas and hot coffee on the kitchen counter.

Riegel, a pastor at 2nd Presbyterian Church in Brookside, has been part of Ramadan celebrations at the church.

Aysegul hands Riegel a small, brown bag.

“Thank you so much, and we would like to offer you little gift of baklava,” she says. “Every year we share a little gift with our friends.”

For the next hour on this cold and dreary Saturday morning, they share stories of the ordinary – what their growing up was like – in Turkey, outside Buffalo or Topeka.

They talk about their work. How life changes with kids, whether they are toddlers or teens.

“Are your kids involved in sports?” Riegel asks.

“Yeah, our son, we are happy and proud he got accepted into the state pool for soccer,” Aysegul says. “Yesterday was their first game.”

Wilkins, a soccer fan, is excited. “Cool!” he says.

At one point they talk about Istanbul, where Aysegul grew up.

Istanbul is a city that lies partly in Europe, and partly in Asia.

There is a particular bridge, Serkin says, that is a tourist attraction.

“On one side of the bridge there’s a sign, ‘Welcome to Europe,’” Serkin says. “On the other side, it says ‘Welcome to Asia.’ Yes, lots of people come to see this.”

“Oh my gosh,” Riegel exclaims. “I’d love to go take a picture standing on that bridge. It will have to be on our bucket list.”

Two families, sharing stories of a bridge in Istanbul while building a bridge between cultures in Kansas City.

Source: KUCR Radio

President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading efforts to bring about much-needed change and have repeatedly condemned such violence, discrimination, and bias. These efforts are part of a larger Administration initiative to counter hate in all its forms, to keep every community safe, to promote equal justice, and to afford all Americans a fair shot at success. For generations, Muslim and Arab Americans have contributed to the enrichment and prosperity of our nation through their public, military, and community service, in addition to many other invaluable contributions. And like all Americans, they are entitled to the promise and opportunities of our great nation.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is highlighting some actions taken as part of its forthcoming National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Hatred Against Arabs in the United States, including important steps to address daily concerns regarding safety and discrimination, as well as issues related to travel. The Administration will continue to lead a whole-of-government and a whole-of society effort to counter hate.

Completed executive branch actions that are part of the forthcoming Strategy include:

Improving Safety and Security

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) have completed an unclassified assessment on violent threats facing Muslim and Arab communities in the United States. The assessment will be published this week, and is the first of what will be an annual assessment by these agencies regarding threats facing these communities.
• Since 2021, DOJ has awarded over $100 million in grants to law enforcement and prosecution agencies, community-based organizations, and civil rights groups to address hate crimes through outreach, investigations, prosecutions, community awareness and preparedness, reporting, hotlines, and victim services. This figure includes nearly $30 million in grants announced last month.
• DOJ continues to support law enforcement agencies’ transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Beginning in January 2021, NIBRS became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States and the transition to NIBRS represented a significant improvement in how reported crime is measured and estimated by the federal government. Since 2015, DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the FBI have provided more than $150 million to law enforcement agencies and state Uniform Crime Programs to support their transitions to NIBRS.
• The DOJ Civil Rights Division continues to prosecute Islamophobic and other hate crimes, including hate crimes directed at students on campus. Last week, a New Jersey man pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for breaking into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday and damaging and destroying religious artifacts because of the Islamic faith of those associated with the facility.
• DOJ’s United Against Hate initiative, led by all 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs), combats unlawful acts of hate by teaching community members how to identify, report, and help prevent hate crimes and by building trust between law enforcement and communities. To date, at least 45 USAOs have engaged directly with Muslim communities.

• Attorney General Garland directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and all 94 USAOs across the country to work with local law enforcement and community leaders to protect communities from hate-fueled violence in the last year and recently reaffirmed DOJ’s commitment to combat the disturbing rise in the volume and frequency of threats against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian as well as Jewish communities here in the United States. DOJ created a webpage aimed at raising awareness of resources for addressing these threats, and it will continue to publicize its efforts.
• During the September 2024 Protecting Places of Worship Week of Action, the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships hosted workshops to encourage partnerships to take collective action against hate-based violence, including Islamophobic violence and hate crimes against Arabs. This emphasis included promotion of a guide to applying for Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding.
• DHS has announced that it will distribute $210 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds as the second tranche of additional funding the Biden-Harris Administration secured to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks. This funding opportunity will be made available in late October.
• DHS published two resource guides to help faith communities and others address swatting, hoax threats and doxing. The DHS Resources for Swatting and Hoax Threats provides information on how to handle swatting calls and hoax threats, while the DHS Resources for Individuals on the Threat of Doxing infographic defines what doxing is and outlines proactive steps individuals can take to prevent doxing.

Tackling Discrimination and Bias

• The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has published the Workplace Rights Federal Toolkit, a compilation of resources for employees of the federal government regarding their workplace rights, including information about their rights to nondiscrimination and religious accommodation.
• The Department of Labor sent a letter to American Job Centers and other public workforce entities reminding them about their legal obligations to enforce prohibitions on discrimination based on actual or perceived religion, shared ancestry, or ethnic characteristics — including Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of discrimination – in federally funded activities and programs. The letter also included a fact sheet with examples of these forms of discrimination in the workforce development system.
• DOJ issued a fact sheet titled Confronting Discrimination Based on Religion in Schools: A Resource for Students and Families, which discusses scenarios involving students’ rights to pray and wear religious attire in schools.
• ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Fact Sheet on Harassment based on Race, Color, or National Origin on School Campuses, reminding schools of their federal civil rights obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) to take prompt and effective action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment. ED OCR continues to investigate and resolve claims of shared ancestry discrimination under Title VI at schools. For example, ED OCR recently entered into a resolution agreement with the Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan to address concerns about a hostile environment for students based on shared Muslim/Arab Palestinian ancestry.
• ED released Free to Learn: Leading Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education, a new resource guide for fostering safe and inclusive campuses.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a letter to the over 200 federally-funded Fair Housing Initiatives Programs and Fair Housing Assistance Programs on how to identify and counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination in housing. Also, HUD created a webpage on protections against housing discrimination on the basis of religion, shared ancestry, or ethnic characteristics, which include the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• The Department of Transportation (DOT) provided a number of resources related to travelers’ rights and opportunities to file a complaint when there may be an instance of discrimination by airlines or recipients of federal funding, including discrimination on the basis of religion or national origin. The Passengers’ Right to Fly Free from Discrimination is a guide designed to explain DOT’s role in protecting aviation passengers from unlawful discrimination. Similarly, the Guidance for Airline Personnel on Non-discrimination in Air Travel assists airline personnel in understanding their legal obligations not to discriminate against passengers. For example, this guidance notes that it is impermissible to remove a passenger from a flight simply because he is holding a book that appears to be a Quran.
• DOJ sent a letter to state, county, and municipal officials reminding them of the obligation of public officials to comply with the land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and to inform them about documents issued by DOJ that may be of assistance to them in applying this federal civil rights law. RLUIPA is a federal law that protects people and religious institutions from discriminatory and overly burdensome land use regulations. For example, DOJ recently filed a complaint and consent decree in United States v. Hendricks County, settling allegations that Hendricks County violated RLUIPA and the Fair Housing Act by twice unlawfully denying zoning approval to an Islamic educational organization that sought to develop a religious seminary, school, and housing on land in Hendricks County.
• Some Americans, including many Muslims and Arabs, have documented how financial institutions use de-risking, a practice to terminate or restrict business relationships indiscriminately with broad categories of clients rather than analyzing and managing the risks of clients in a targeted manner. To help address de-risking, the U.S. Treasury Department has published its National De-Risking Strategy. The Treasury Department also has issued a proposed rule to improve the effectiveness of how banks manage potential risks associated with anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism in a risk-based manner, while avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches that can lead to financial institutions declining to provide financial services to entire categories of customers.

Addressing Issues Related to Travel

• The FBI published an Overview of the U.S. Government’s Terrorist Watchlisting Process and Procedures. This document advances transparency by providing a general description of this system and mechanisms to ensure that concerns about it are handled in a timely and fair manner.

• On January 20, 2021, President Biden rescinded the previous administration’s discriminatory Muslim Ban, which included many Arab countries and was inconsistent with our nation’s foundation of religious freedom for all. At President Biden’s direction, the U.S. Department of State conducted a review of visa applications and has taken various corrective actions to process applications that were impacted by the prior travel ban, including reconsidering previously denied applications and implementing a one-time fee credit for certain applicants.

Source: The White House