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1998-Reverside Islamic Center
2000- Dar Al-Hijrah Cultural Center
2007-Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center
2010- Islamic Civic Soceity of America

On June 1998, a group of scholars and community leaders became aware of vast influx of Muslims, primarily from East Africa, in the state of Minnesota. As many ethnicities have done so in the past, these scholars and leaders yearned for a place to keep the identities, culture, religion, and values of Muslims while being a productive citizen to the country. It was indeed Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh), tradition to establish a sacred place in every new environment he and Muslims found themselves in. This place nurtured both young and old, male and female, and it reinforced the notion of communion through a ‘one stop’ center where one could find a host of services with regards to social justice and to ultimately find spirituality. The prophet’s first migration from his home town Mecca to Medina in fear of persecution by the leaders of his community at that time is identified as al-hijrah, the migration. The founders named the site Riverside Islamic Center.

Dar Al-Hijrah, home of the immigrants, was built upon those principles held by the prophet and the following Muslims. The center was created to serve the Muslims, all spiritually, socially, and academically and help them succeed in a new place they have come to live in. Therefore, the community leaders at that specific moment in search of a name called the center Dar Al-Hijrah Cultural Center.

As seasons change with reasons, so did the center after a period of ten years. Dar Al-Hijrah started focusing first on the concept of worshipping and teaching. To do so, the center only needed the first floor of its current structure as other parts of the building were rented out to others. Soon an offer from Minnesota Health Department enforced the leaders of the center to add a free clinic center with an assistant nurse and visiting doctor to lecture and give health related advices to the community members; while official doctors who give free prescription is under process.  Previously it had one Islamic school on the weekends, within a half decade it had three schools requiring the third school to be taught at other venue due to lack of space. The more services and opportunities the community needed, the more space it required in the center.

In 2005, Dar Al-Hijrah’s staff, leaders, teachers, students, parents, and many others rallied together to buy the entire building it was using a part of. On April 2006, the full building was bought and renovated to accommodate the additional services. This move was a pinnacle one not only as Dar Al-Hijrah center accommodated more services now, but it also lay a lot of responsibility and accountability upon the center to keep improving its services in the future. And improving it did.

The center quickly revaluated its mission and goals, leadership roles, and services. On 2007, the name of the center was changed to Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center. Now the center not only offered cultural services but it was working towards civic engagement, a collective engagements of the center and the public to work towards public concerns. In its mission, the center incorporated more clearly the Core Islamic Principles, Core Democratic Principles as Applied to Faith Institution, Human Capacity, Democracy, Active Citizenship, Political Competence, and Institutional Efficacy (Capacity) to become a lead example for Muslim and non-Muslim organizations. Keith Ellison’s head campaign office in the west bank of Riverside neighborhood was the center, opening a door for the newly Muslim immigrants to take part of voting for their state representatives. Dar Al-Hijrah has also hosted and allowed United States Census several time for the past year to be held in the center and encouraging Muslims to take part. The center has also allowed multiple non-profit organizations to donate food, clothing items to the needed of our community members. After much change for over eleven years, the center still wants to spearhead the promise it took since its creation to better itself and its community members.

In 2010, the center is dividing and renaming its sections of services. Hitherto, the center functioned as a non-profit organization. A new vision has come in town. The name Dar Al-Hijrah from now on will be only tied to spirituality as this section of the center will focus on worshipping. The rest of the services and civic engagements will remain as they are now. However, Dar Al-Hijrah and these other services for the community will all come under the new name, Islamic Civic Society of America (ICSA), a profitable organization. This is to allow the organization to develop a civic infrastructure, capacity and be able to regulate legally with fundings and therefore have many opportunities to grow and service the large society with common good. The organization is welcoming any ideas and services that the center might need now it has transitioned from its previous position. The organization is now under new leadership, facing increased accomplishments, and a new growth that will lead generations of Muslims to come in the state of Minnesota and soon the entire nation with common values.

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