Established in 1979, the Islamic Center of the Capital District is one of the oldest mosques in the area.
“We are standing outside the Islamic Center, between the old building and the new building that was built here about 13 or 14 years ago," said Dr. Mussarat Chaudhry, one of the Pakistani immigrant women who helped make the mosque the community center it is today.
Chaudhry came to the Capital Region from Pakistan in 1971. Now a retired radiologist, Chaudhry began her medical career in the United States as an intern at St. Peter’s Hospital. At the time, there were no mosques in the area, and the small Muslim community that did exist congregated to pray in any space people could find.
“We used to pray and get together for the holidays in the basement of churches, in the hospital facilities, or in the university rooms," she said. "And then one day, we were all at a dinner together, and we decided we do need something. We started to work on the fundraising and people wanted to mortgage their homes, get the funds out of their pension plans, what have you.”
Funding the construction of the mosque took several years, especially as the group wanted to follow Islamic rules of finance, which forbid taking or giving loans with interest. That meant relying heavily on community donations.
“We pretty much had to wait, from day to day, go home and cry and pray for money to show up so we can continue the building, and so it did,” she said.
The funds that finally got the construction over the finish line came in the form of an unexpected gift. Shakir Al-Aboud, a businessman, came to Albany for medical treatment from Paris and visited the construction site that would eventually become ICCD.
“But at that time, Shakir Al-Aboud had said, ‘You build this mosque like you're building your own home, and I will pay to the last penny for it,' SubhanAllah," she said. "So this is one of those stories that you know you make an intention, and you make it feeling the need for it and serving God, Allah, and things happen.”
Now, the mosque has been in the area for almost 50 years. In that time, it has expanded significantly according to the community’s needs, including an Islamic school and a larger community center that can fit thousands, especially during the Eid holiday prayers. The Islamic school, An-Nur, was established in 1991, and Chaudhry has been a member of the school board since it opened.
Chaudhry has also been at the forefront of interfaith work in the Capital Region and is part of several interfaith organizations in the area, including the Interfaith Alliance of Upstate New York and the Sidney and Beatrice Albert Interfaith Lecture Series Board.
“I had been approached by several church communities to do some interfaith work, and I got very involved with it very early, because, initially, our imam was not English speaking," she said. "There weren't many imams. So I took on the role of doing that for many years.”
Although the community was initially welcomed by its neighbors, Chaudhry says 9/11 drastically changed how Muslims viewed themselves as part of the community, particularly for her and her fellow hijabi women facing Islamophobia.
“There were times when people would try to pull off the scarf and strangulate so, at that time, we had set up a program with a local taekwondo teacher," she said. "I think it was in Clifton Park, and we went and we did a little training for young women and older women to how to be safe if that happens. So he taught us. He said, 'If somebody is trying to pull your scarf, you put your hand, put you in a scarf, in that and turn your face. It won't affect your breathing.'”
For many Muslims in the community, it became much more important to be politically involved. In the Capital Region, there are now multiple advocacy groups aimed at organizing Muslims to be politically active, including the Albany Muslim Advocacy Coalition, which hosts many of its events at ICCD, and the United Muslim Alliance of Albany.
Chaudhry, who is South Asian, sees the AAPI community and AAPI Heritage Month as an important step toward ensuring AAPI voices are heard.
“I think it’s very, very important, especially people from those areas to get together and have a unified focus on what our needs are and how we can benefit our communities.”
After 55 years of being in the area, Chaudhry sees the community changing with its next generation, particularly when it comes to challenging Islamophobia or racial discrimination. She said she hopes the region’s next generation of Muslims will continue the work she helped start half a century ago.
“I think that's the hope: that we keep connected and we let the community know that Muslims are here, and we value our traditions," she said. "We're here to stay, and we're here to help as other citizens are.”
