Islamic Center of Rochester (Rochester, N.Y.)

The Islamic Center was founded on December 25, 1975. Doctors Salahuddin and Sarwat Malik had been part of an informal group of about twenty-five Muslim families (among them seven Pakistani and two Iranian) who had held gatherings and religious services in their homes for some time. However, an incident of discrimination against the Maliks' older daughter Sumaiya, which took place at Allen Creek Elementary School, moved the group to formalize their existence, realizing that Muslims needed a more formal presence in the area. (A third grade teacher refused to allow Sumaiya to describe Muslim and Pakistani celebrations after the teacher had asked Christian and Jewish students to describe their traditions.) The incident was covered by the Times Union.

The initial founding group consisted of two Turks, two Iranians, two Americans, two Pakistanis, and two Arabs. Salahuddin Malik was elected president and would serve two terms consecutively (1975-78). He has since served as president for a total of eleven years intermittently. The center rented a facility on Monroe Avenue from 1975-1983. Salahuddin Malik was again president (1983-87) when the center decided to build a permanent site.

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