History
Bilal Community Center dates its history over two decades ago in 1998. This organization’s inception began with Muslim brothers of Ethiopian and Eritrean origin who were yearning for an organization to cater for their Islamic religious needs while enhancing their cultural and traditional values. Many brothers and sisters have individually and in groups made efforts to try the scattered Ethio Eritrean muslims in the Dallas and Richardson Texas area.
In 1998, an event that has caused an international outrage of Muslims of Ethiopian origin occurred in the grand mosque of Addis Ababa, known as Grand Anwar Masjeed, in which the mosque was raided by federal forces while mass Friday prayer was taking place. In this raid the federal police has unleashed brutal shooting indiscriminately causing loss of life and many being injured. In this raid many muslim scholars of the country were detained and many were forced to flee for their life.
While the massacre was going on in Addis Ababa grand mosque, here in the great DFW area muslims especially of Ethiopian origin called each other for an informal meeting in an effort to denounce and condemn the action of the Ethiopian Federal government, its action against peaceful Muslims during their worship. The group came to a common understanding that without having a strong organization with leadership and without a strong community that could come as a strong voice to condemn the brutality of Ethiopian federal force against peaceful Muslims in the country. Thus was the inception of the Bilal Ethiopian Muslim Community.
After being formed into an organization, Bilal Community Center has taken many names such as Bilal Ethiopian Muslims, Bilal Ethiopian Muslim community center, Bilal Ethio-Eritrean community. Under these different names, the Ethiopian Muslims started community gathering, hosting meetings in apartments, club houses and Ramadan Iftaar during Ramadan.
As the number of migrant Ethiopians increased, the community started to grow in number that created a need and demand for social services such as Islamic education, children program, dawa (Islamic propagation) and outreach programs. This demand in the community leads to more organized and structured leadership. The community grew enough to rent facilities and host programs.
Bilal Community Center has since gone through many ups and downs in the history of the organization. One heart breaking occurrence was the 2003 dissolution of the organization from incorporation of non- profit status due to internal conflict of leadership. However, God almighty in his power and wisdom, the organization was re-incorporated as a new organization under its current official name, Bilal Community Center, a few years after its last demise. Alhamdulillah.