About Us
The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo provides a variety of religious, educational, and social activities for Muslims, the greater Toledo community, and anyone who is interested in learning about the core values and teachings of Islam.
The Islamic Center of Greater Toledo provides a variety of religious, educational, and social activities for Muslims, the greater Toledo community, and anyone who is interested in learning about the core values and teachings of Islam.
The mission of the Islamic Center is to uphold the doctrine and principles of Islam; to provide its members an environment conducive for Islamic education, cultural enhancement, and religious services; to introduce Islam, its culture and heritage to the community-at-large; to enter into dialogue with other faiths to promote interfaith understanding and accommodation.
The first Muslim immigrants to Toledo came at the turn of the century from Syria and Lebanon. In the late thirties, they established the Syrian American Muslim Society. Toledo’s first Islamic Center was built in 1954 on 722 E. Bancroft Street, near downtown Toledo, fulfilling the needs of the Muslim community at that time.
With the influx of many more Muslims to the Greater Toledo area in the late sixties and early seventies, the Islamic Center on E. Bancroft Street was stretched to meet the religious and social needs of its members. Plans needed to be made to build a larger facility. The concept of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo and the planning stage spanned over a decade. Its classic Islamic architecture was the first of its kind in North America.
In 1978, a 48-acre parcel of land was purchased in Perrysburg Township, and the foundation of the Center was laid in October 1980. Actual construction did not begin until September 1982. The building officially opened on October 22, 1983. Two wings were added in 1991 to accommodate increased enrollment in the Weekend School and to expand the Social Hall on the ground floor. On the second floor, a Cultural Display Room occupies the West wing while Jabarin Hall holds a game room in the East wing.
Today, more than 23 nationalities are represented in the Center. In addition to fulfilling the religious and cultural needs of its members, the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo provides an essential bridge of understanding between its members and the community-at-large.