Islamic Association of North Texas
The Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) is the largest community of Muslims in Richardson, Texas. The organization operates the Dallas Central Mosque and other facilities involving school and sports.
History
The Islamic Association of North Texas was established in February 1971 and was incorporated in the state of Texas as a non-profit, tax exempt, religious organization. The initial founding group consisted of six Muslim families and some students, which rotated between each other's homes as Masjids. As the Muslim community in the Dallas area grew, it was decided to purchase three frame houses on Bagdad Road in Grand Prairie, Texas, which became the headquarters of IANT. However, the region proved inadequate because most newly arriving families preferred the Richardson/Garland area which was in a closer proximity to the city of Dallas and provided better school districts and the need for larger premises became a necessity.
In 1979, the IANT purchased a large frame house with a barn on Abrams Road in Richardson. On October 30th, 1982, a big ceremony took place and the fundraising for the new Mosque began. In 1983, the Restland Cemetery, which is in close proximity to IANT, was secured for Muslim burial needs. Eventually, in 1985, the city of Richardson granted a final occupancy permit. During that month and Inauguration Ceremony was held.
As the community grew larger, a surprise visitor stopped by the Masjid. The world famous boxer Muhammad Ali joined for afternoon prayers and the socialized with everyone present. During the ensuing years, the community grew exponentially and forced the administration to embark a big expansion project with a larger prayer hall, better facilities for the ladies, a body preparation facility (which is used for funerals), a multi-purpose hall for conferences and other social activities such as exhibitions and games. A medical clinic with certified doctors was also established.
During this period of changes, the community around the association grew so large, that Dr. Yusuf Ziya Kavakci, a well known Turkish scholar who served as the Imam of the Masjid at that time, initiated the IQA Quranic Academy, with the goal of generating scholars of the future to serve the entire nation. Another project by Dr. Kavakci was the Suffa Islamic Seminary, where students could learn and share their Islamic heritage and culture.
After pursue of the youth of the community, the IANT Youth program was introduced in 2010, followed by the IANT sports program in 2012. These and many different projects and expansions have made the IANT the largest Muslim community in the state of Texas.