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Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Day of New York
(July 28, 2008 – from 5 PM to 7 PM) |
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MURID ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN AMERICA
History of the House of Islam
I take as witness Allah and his two scribe angels, to declare
that I have started without stopping or respite, the fulfillment
of my pledge before Allah." It is with this pledge that
Shaykh Mourtalla Mbacke Ibn Khadimou Rassoul engages his all
life to be on the service of his religion, Islam. And the
cornerstone of Shaykh Mourtalla's work is the network of schools
represented by the Islamic Institute Al Azhar system. That
is also the reason which led the Shaykh to instruct the Murids
of United States of America to build the House of Islam in
New York.
The House of Islam was the creation of one great Islamic
leader but its roots began with the movement of Senegalese
people beyond their borders - to neighboring Ivory Coast,
Gabon, France and ultimately, North America. By the early
1980's, Senegalese economic migrants could be found employed
in jobs in the Ivory Coast, Gabon, other countries in central
Africa, France and North America. Following the cycle of drought,
which began in 1966, many "Baol-Baol" from the center
and West of center of Senegal moved to Dakar, the capital
city of Senegal. And from this group of mainly Murid disciples,
many began to immigrate to other African countries and to
Europe. In 1973 the world had one of the first huge oil crises
in history as a result of the Arab Israeli war.
The industrialized Western Europe plunged into a deep economic
crisis. And African immigrants in Europe faced a powerful
xenophobic push. This was especially true for the Senegalese
in France. The xenophobia culminated in what become finally
the anti immigrant legislation known as the Pasqua Law, named
for the former French minister of Interior, Charles Pasqua.
The Pasqua law sent many Murid immigrants back home but a
few of them landed in New York.
By 1986 there were already a couple of hundred Murids in
the New York tri-state area. As was their custom, wherever
there were a dozen Murid disciples, the first impulse was
to set up a Dayira (worship and community help association).
At the initiation of Serigne Moustapha Mbacké Gaindé
Fatma (his father, Shaykh Mbacké Gaindé Fatma
is the first grand-son of Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba) the few hundred
Murids living started their first Dayira.
They met in a Brooklyn house named Keur Serigne Touba. Serigne
Moustapha Gaindé Fatma knew that his grand uncle Serigne
Mourtalla Mbacké, would travel anywhere, any time to
answer the call of Islamic duty "without stopping or
respite". Serigne Moustapha requested that the Shaykh
pay his first visit to the Talibés in the United States.
His request was readily accepted.
With help from a well-known African-American Murid disciple,
Shaykh Balozy of the state of New Jersey, the Murids led by
the great grand son of Khadimou Rassoul organized the first
visit in 1989. Since then, the visit has become one of the
most important annual events in the Senegalese community in
the US.
It grew so rapidly that the organizers were forced to change
the venue two years after it was launched. From Brooklyn,
the Shaykh was brought to Manhattan to accommodate the growing
population of Talibés who reside on the island.
That year, Serigne Mourtalla brought with him a delegation
of 120 people. Serigne Mourtalla came with three prominent
Muslim lecturers: The late Serigne Sam Mbaye a well known
Murid scholar, Serigne Moustapha Lo who is a grand son to
the founder and who followed the foot steps of his grand father
throughout the countries of the founder's exile and last but
not least, Serigne Moustapha Leye the former dean of Islamic
Al Azhar Institute. At the third edition of the visit, the
Borough of Manhattan, under the leadership David N Dinkins,
proclaimed the 28th of July Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba Day.
Realizing the Murid community had grown strong in the US,
Serigne Mourtalla, not wanting the disciples to pray and meet
only when he was visiting, asked the leaders to start a non-profit
association to assist in organizing the Murids.
This instruction led to the creation of the Murid Islamic
Community in America, INC. (Mica), a 501 (c) 3 type, meaning
that any donation to it is a tax deductible contribution.
But the major recommendation by Serigne Mourtalla took place
in 1991. He directed the leadership of Mica to buy a house
in New York to be called the House of Islam.
Matching his acts to his words, Serigne Mourtalla invested
his own money in the amount of 55 thousand American dollars.
His gift triggered a mobilization among the followers to raise
an additional 61 thousand. The combined efforts allowed the
acquisition of the lot number 46 on Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem.
The architect in charge of drawing up the plan came up with
a four-story building plus basement, for an estimated cost
of 250 thousand dollars. The primary needs to be met were
a mosque and a school for the teaching of Muslim religion.
The obstacles were numerous to complete construction of the
House of Islam. The first contractor seemed to have erred
in his estimates.
The first contract was for 250 thousand dollars and the Mica
leaders did hope to raise that amount in at most two years.
But soon after the groundbreaking, the contractor started
accumulating delay after delay, after delay. After three years
of wrangling, a new contractor had to be hired. A new evaluation
put the cost to over 350 thousand.
Except the initial 55 thousand dollars donated by Serigne
Mourtalla, all the money is paid for by collections from the
disciples themselves. Murid gatherings were used to raise
funds toward the building of the house.
On July 25 th, 2001, the house of Islam was inaugurated by
the late Serigne Mourtalla IBN Khadimou Rassoul
One more goal met in Serigne Mourtalla's efforts "without
stopping or respite" in the service of Islam. May God
allow him to keep these efforts.
MICA
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