Dear Friends,
Your Muslim neighbors of the Birmingham Islamic Society send you warm greetings! We want to take the approaching holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to invite you to visit the BIS Hoover Crescent Islamic Center (2524 Hackberry Lane, Hoover, AL 35226).
During this sacred month, which starts on May 6, 2019. Muslims observe a daytime fast, abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset, and also refrain from being intimate with their spouses, among other exercises in personal restraint. At sunset during Ramadan, Muslims break their fast with a meal called ‘iftar’.
Traditionally, the ‘iftar’ consists of breaking the fast amidst supplications with dates and water, followed immediately by the evening congregational prayer, before finally sitting down together to enjoy a delicious meal, all of which is always better when we have visiting guests!
American Muslims are currently the subject of much controversy in the media. You may have many questions in mind regarding our beliefs and practices pertaining to the much-misunderstood Shariah law. ‘Muslim ban’ and ‘refugees’ are issues of considerable apprehension today among Americans. If you or someone you know would be interested in discussing these concerns, we welcome you to visit us. By way of example, we have discussed the following topics with our past guests:
- Shariah law
- “Jihad”
- Women in Islam
- Democracy and human rights in Islam
- Jesus and Mary in Islam
Free copies of the Qur’an and Islamic literature are also distributed on request.
BIS invites you, your family and friends, or your organization or group for a visit to our facility. You are welcome to observe our evening prayer at sunset. Dinner typically follows, with a brief presentation and then a question/answer session. The program usually runs about 2 hours in total, depending on the visiting group and their questions. You can contact us to reserve a spot for any day, starting May 6 till June 3, 2019.
Please contact Rita Taufique at (205) 879-4247 extension 6 or email her at rita.taufique@bisweb.org, if you would like to attend an iftar or if you have any further questions. You may also reserve a spot by clicking on this link.
We look forward to hosting you and sincerely hope that you will be our guest this Ramadan!
Sincerely,
Ashfaq Taufique
President, Birmingham Islamic Society
Member of GBM Board of Directors
