About Bilal Community Center

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.

It is with no exaggeration that BCC claims playing the most important role for the inception, formation and development of Badr international Ethiopian Muslim federation. BCC leadership has made great effort in the development of Badr as an organization. The community has hosted the first, the third and the fourteenth Badr conventions, especially the last two being emergent in need to rescue the convention from not happening due to SARS outbreak in 2003 in Canada and in 2014.

BCC has played important role in the struggle of Ethiopian Muslims right addressing issues with the Ethiopian government high officials including the late prime minister Meles Zenawi,by sending delegates to demand and to discuss the right of every Ethiopian Muslims especially in the Amhara region as well as in the northern Axum province of Ethiopia where Muslims are abused and forbidden to build worship centers, Muslim cemetery for burial and many social injustices in the country.

Bcc has been a part of Ethiopian Muslim struggle during the civil outcry of Dimtsachin Yisema (let our voice be heard). BCC has organized a chapter here in the Dallas area using volunteers who collaborate with many volunteers around the united states in getting the plight of Muslims under the attack of Federal government of Ethiopia imposing strange sect of Islam known as Ahbash to be the practice in the country, arrested muslim leaders and scholars who stood against unjust involvement of government on religious practice of Muslims dictating how, when where. What and who they worship. Ethiopian Muslims are not going to have that, they defended their religion, paid the ultimate sacrifice and become an agent of change in the country’s political sphere and BCC was on the first line of support.

BCC as a community has been involved in many philanthropic programs in Ethiopia. Many non-government organizations rely on the support of BCC and the charity of members. BCC has supported the building of Gonder Muslims orphanage, Gonder Muslims victims of violence attack in 2023, victims of Mota muslims in 2020 and many other human and natural inflicted victims in Ethiopia. One of the most important programs sponsored by BCC is Babul Kheyr, an NGO in Addis Ababa that works in providing meals to many poor families, elderly and women who can afford to feed their family. BCCis proud supporter of many such programs.

BCC supports the effort of establishing a media that speaks for the muslims in the country. Muslim reporting Medias have now become instrumental in making the life of Muslims struggle in Ethiopia and around the world exposed as it happens. The untold stories of Muslims suffering continuous attack by both government officials and fanatic Christians who seek one country and one religion, Christianity, is now reported by private Muslim Media outlets. One example is the attack of Motta masjid, in which 4 big masjids were burned to ashes in one night while government conspirators and perpetrators of this crime shouted and danced like they are watching a campfire.

Radio Najashi finds many supporters here in the DFW area especially during their effort going to FM broadcasting. BCC continues to support independent Islamic media to be the voice for pupils who have never been heard or covered justly.

BCC as a community plays active role in the building of civilized world that is based on tolerance and symbiotic life sharing this planet with human being with no discrimination of age, gender, religion etc. our mission to work for the development of community that compatible both with Islam and Ethiopian heritage while enhancing the integral part of citizenship in United states and especially here in Dallas TEXAS.