Imam Sa’ad Palwala speaks on Friday, March 7, 2025, at the Islamic Center of McLean County.
Mateusz Janik
BLOOMINGTON — The Islamic Center of McLean County has invited the community to an open house on Saturday, Oct. 18, at its new place of worship.
The center will host the event from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. for neighboring residents and leaders to meet members of the Muslim community and tour the new masjid at 421 Olympia Drive in Bloomington.
“I think this can remove a lot of myths and misunderstandings of Islam,” said Sa’ad Palwala, imam of the center. “That’s one of the main reasons I thought about doing an open house, so that people can come in and see how Muslims worship and who we are.”
The masjid — the Arabic term for a place of worship akin to the word “mosque” in English — is named Masjid Ibrahim, which is the Arabic name of the prophet Abraham, who is revered not only in Islam but also in Judaism and Christianity and unites all three religions through his patriarchy.
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The masjid opened in February after nine months of construction and $2.3 million was raised.
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Visitors will be able to socialize with members of the Muslim community, listen to a presentation from community leaders, tour the masjid and observe a prayer.
The schedule for the day includes the following:
Check-in and social time, 10:30 to 11 a.m.Speech and presentation, 11 a.m. to noonQ&A session, noon to 1 p.m.A tour of the masjid, 1 to 1:20 p.m. Call to prayer, 1:20 p.m.Prayer, 1:30 p.m.Event conclusion and departure, 1:45 p.m.
Palwala said his and other members hope the event will strengthen relationships with interfaith partners, civic leaders and local families so that together they can continue building an understanding and work toward the betterment of the community.
“It’s something that many people have on their minds, especially with the current events,” Palwala said. “They’re going to be more open to it and learn more about Islam, which will remove many more misunderstandings from how the media and others are portraying us.”
Visit icmclean.org for more information about the Islamic Center of McLean County.
Contact Mateusz Janik at (309) 820-3234. Follow Mateusz on Twitter:@mjanik99
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