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The Islamic Center of Washington is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Washington, D.C.. It is located on Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue just east of the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957 it was the largest mosque in the Western Hemisphere. Some 6,000 people pray there each Friday. == History == The center was conceived in 1944 when the Turkish ambassador Münir Ertegün died without a mosque to host his funeral. In 1948 Egypt appointed Kamil Abdel Rahim as Egyptian Ambassador to the United States of America succeeding Ambassador Mahmoud Hassan. The project of building a Mosque lay dormant during the war years and was not revived until Ambassador Rahim took his duties as Ambassador in Washington, DC in 1948. The Egyptian ambassador, Kamil Abdul Rahim was appointed president of the mosque foundation and its executive committee. He was instrumental in assembling all of the heads of the accredited emissary’s of Muslem countries in the U.S. He made several trips to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Muslem countries to solicit funds for the building the mosque. Howar (Mohammed Issa Abu Al Hawa, 1879-1982) and other Muslim diplomats helped found and provide early funding to a committee to build a mosque in the U.S. capital. In 1948, Howar, placing a silver dollar on the ground for luck, began work at the site. See articles in the ''Evening Star'' and ''The Washington Post'' regarding the progress of building the mosque. (Evening Star articles dated: 01-12-1949, 03-02-1952, 04-23-1952, 09-15-1952; Washington Post articles dated: 01-06-1952, 12-09-1952). In 1948, Howar, placing a silver dollar on the ground for luck, began work at the site. The mosque was completed in 1954 and dedicated by President Dwight Eisenhower on June 28, 1957. The Washington diplomatic community played a leading role in the effort to construct a mosque. Egypt donated a bronze chandelier and sent specialists who wrote Qur'anic verses to adorn the mosque’s walls and ceiling. Tiles came from Turkey along with the experts to install them. Persian rugs came from Iran. Support for the project also came from the American-Muslim community. The site was purchased in 1946 and the cornerstone was laid on January 11, 1949. The building was designed by Italian architect Mario Rossi.〔(p.10 of brochure )〕 The mosque was one of three buildings taken over in the 1977 Hanafi Siege. Muslim gunmen holding hostages made several demands, including the demand that the movie ''Mohammad, Messenger of God'' be destroyed because they considered it sacrilegious." The mosque has been visited by many dignitaries, including several presidents. President George W. Bush visited on September 17, 2001, only days after the attacks of September 11.〔(President Bush Rededicates Islamic Center of Washington ), Press release of the White House on June, 27th 2007〕 On national television, Bush quoted from the Qur'an and worked to assure Americans that the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful.〔(Video and audio of President Bush's remarks )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Islamic Center of Washington」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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