Islam in Houston facts for kids
Houston is home to the largest Muslim population in Texas and in the Southern United States. In 2012, it was estimated that about 63,000 Muslims lived in Houston. Today, there are over 209 mosques and religious centers. The biggest mosque is the Al-Noor Mosque, which means "Mosque of Light."
Muslims in Houston, including both Sunni and Shia groups, generally get along well. The University of Houston even has separate student groups for Sunni and Shia Muslims to help them connect.
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) has been a main organization for Sunni Muslims in Houston since the 1990s. Most Sunni mosques in the city are part of the ISGH.
There are some cultural differences, like when to start Ramadan. The ISGH follows the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) rule, which means starting Ramadan when the moon is first seen anywhere in North America. The Al-Noor Islamic Society, however, starts Ramadan only when the moon is seen locally in Houston.
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History of Islam in Houston
In the 1950s, a small group of Muslims started meeting in a barbershop. This group eventually created Masjid Al-Islam, which is now called Masjid Warithuddeen Mohammed.
By the 1970s, there was only one mosque in Houston, a three-bedroom house in the northern part of the city. It served about 30 families. These families worked together and bought a 1.5-acre piece of land in 1980 to build a new mosque. At first, the mosque was in a large trailer. Five families each gave $1,500 for the down payment. Later, money from public fundraising and donations helped build the permanent Al-Noor mosque.
The Al-Noor Society was officially started in 1987.
In 1988, a charitable Islamic group called the Alavi Foundation bought a property for $1.1 million. This property became the Islamic Education Center (IEC).
Over several years before 2012, many new mosques opened in Houston, and others were made larger to welcome more people.
On February 13, 2015, there was a fire at the Quba Islamic Institute in southeast Houston. Fire officials found that something was used to help the fire spread.
By 2016, the Muslim community in Houston had grown to include people from many different backgrounds, such as South Asians, Middle Easterners, Africans, Turks, and Indonesians. In 2000, over 70% of Muslims in Houston were from Pakistan. Many established Muslim immigrants live in north and northwest Houston, while newer immigrants often live in Southwest Houston, especially in Alief.
From 1990 to 2000, many Arab Muslims started their own mosques and schools separate from the ISGH. This was due to disagreements about things like the language used in Friday sermons and how schools were run. This shows that the Muslim community in Houston has become more diverse as more people have moved there.
Around 2002, some Hispanic people in Houston had converted to Islam. They shared that sometimes people mistakenly thought they were from Pakistan or the Middle East because they were Muslim.
Different Kinds of Islam
Shia Islam
Houston has many Shia mosques. Some of them include Al-Ghadeer, Al-Murtaza, IPF, IEC, Ahlulbayt, Dar-e-Abbas, and Ali Center. Houston also hosts one of the largest Juloos (a religious procession) in the United States, organized by Pasban-e-Aza.
Ismailism
In the 1960s, many Ismailis first came to Houston to work in the Texas Medical Center. By 2002, there were about 15,000 Ismailis in the Houston area, and by 2020, that number grew to about 40,000.
The Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center is located in Sugar Land. It serves as the main office for the Ismaili Council for the United States. This center, which cost $10 million to build, opened in 2002. Important leaders like the Agha Khan, Governor of Texas Rick Perry, and the Mayor of Sugar Land attended the opening. The center has prayer rooms, a cultural center, a conference center, and a gallery of Ismaili art.
In 2006, the Agha Khan Foundation bought land to build another Ismaili Centre in Houston. This new center is expected to open in 2024.
Ismailis in Houston also organize the Houston Partnership Walk every year. This event raises money to help fight poverty around the world.
Some Ismaili Muslims belong to the Dawoodi Bohra group. A Bohra Muslim who lived in Houston wrote that the Bohri community there was very close-knit. They often lived in the same neighborhoods, went to the same schools, and mostly interacted with other Bohris.
Ahmadiyya
Houston also has an Ahmadiyya Muslim community with its own mosque in northern Harris County.
In 2008, a newspaper publisher named Sheikh Najam Ali printed an advertisement saying that Ahmadiyya Muslims were indeed Muslims and announced an Ahmadiyya celebration. Because of this, some people reacted negatively. It's important for everyone to respect different religious beliefs and avoid being unkind or threatening towards others.
Nation of Islam
The Greater Houston area has at least one Nation of Islam mosque.
Important Mosques in Houston
There is one mosque in Downtown Houston called the Islamic Da'wah Center. It is in a three-story building that was built in 1928 and used to be the Houston National Bank. The building has a grand look with black granite and limestone on the outside and eight columns. Inside, it has a high-domed ceiling with gold leaf and beautiful marble from different countries.
Famous basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon bought the building in 1994 so it could become a mosque. It needed a lot of repair work, especially on the ceiling which had been damaged by rain. Both men and women pray on the first floor, separated by a screen. Women also have a prayer area on the second-floor balcony. The basement has an Islamic library in an old bank vault, along with a reception hall and kitchen. This building is seen as one of the most important worship centers for Muslims in the country.
The Katy Islamic Center is the largest mosque in Greater Katy, located in unincorporated Harris County. It is run by the Muslim American Society (MAS) and sits on 11 acres of land with a large, two-story mosque building. The land was bought in 2006, and construction started in 2008. The mosque officially opened on June 13, 2015. Some neighbors had concerns about things like traffic and drainage when the mosque was being built.
The Clear Lake Islamic Center Inc. (CLIC), started in 1996, is the biggest mosque in the Clear Lake area.
The Islamic Education Center (IEC) is one of the largest Shia mosques in Houston, located in west Houston. It used to be a Hindu marketplace. The IEC also has an Islamic school called the Al-Hadi School of Accelerative Learning, which opened in 1996.
Houston's first Spanish-speaking mosque, the Centro Islámico, opened on January 30, 2016. It was the first Spanish-language mosque to open in the United States in many years. The mosque is decorated in a style similar to the famous Mezquita de Córdoba in Spain and is run by the organization IslamInSpanish.
The Baitus Samee Mosque in Houston's Northside area is also an important mosque.
Other Facilities
Among the religious schools (madrassas) in the area, the Madrasah Islamia was the first and largest as of 2011.
In 2000, the only Muslim funeral home in Texas was located at the Al-Noor mosque. It served Muslims from all over Texas and nearby states. About 90% of funeral prayers in Houston were held at Al-Noor because of this funeral home. At that time, there were no Muslim cemeteries in Houston, so Muslims used a special section in a non-Muslim cemetery.
Economy
As of 2014, the Houston area had about 50 restaurants that served halal food. Halal means the food is prepared according to Islamic law. Houston also has restaurants that offer special iftar meals during Ramadan for families who are too busy to cook at home.
Education
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston runs Islamic schools called the Darul Arqam Schools. The Islamic Education Center operates the Al-Hadi School of Accelerative Learning. The Iman Academy is another independent Islamic school system in the area.
Notable People
- Ghulam Bombaywala - A well-known restaurant owner
- M.J. Khan - A politician
- Hakeem Olajuwon - A famous basketball player
