Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, Minneapolis

Dar Al-Hijrah was founded in 1998 in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis and is the oldest Somali mosque in Minnesota. It signals the latest of many phases of immigration to the state, from Scandinavians and other Europeans in the nineteenth century to East Africans in the 1990s and 2000s. The congregation has a unique commitment to civic education and advocates for the idea that Islam is compatible with democracy through its sister organization, the Islamic Civic Society of America.

Somalis began arriving in Minnesota in the early 1990s, fleeing civil war in their homeland. At first they joined mosques that had been operated by other Muslim communities, mainly from South Asia or the Middle East. These mosques helped Somalis transition to new lives in Minnesota by providing religious space and community support.

By 1998, Cedar-Riverside had become home to one of the largest concentrations of Somalis in Minnesota. Many Somalis wanted a mosque tailored to their specific language and cultural needs. They also wanted their mosque to be close to Riverside Plaza, a housing complex where many Somalis lived, including both elders and youth.

Somalis opened up their first mosque, the Riverside Islamic Center, in a two-story brick building on Cedar Avenue. Previously, the building had housed a steam laundry and then a small knitting factory owned by Scandinavian immigrant Christian Nelson.

The factory remained in operation until the 1960s. The Guild of Performing Arts School and Theater rented the space for almost a decade before it was left vacant in the 1980s. By the 1990s, multiple groups, including a police precinct safety center, Bedlam Theater, and the West Bank Karate Club, had adjusted the space to their needs.

The new Riverside Islamic Center converted its first floor room to a prayer room for men (replacing the police center); a prayer room for women was established next door (next to Bedlam Theater). The second floor became offices, classrooms, and community meeting spaces. In 2000 it became the Dar Al-Hijrah (Home of Migration) Cultural Center in reference to “the experience of leaving your homeland to settle in another land that embraces you,” as mosque leader Abdisalam Adam puts it.

In 2006, Somali community members raised $400,000 over five months to purchase the building outright from local land developer Vicki Heller. At the same time, the name was changed to Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Civic Center, and in 2013 the name changed again to the Islamic Civic Society of America, which includes Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque.

These changes reflect a unique commitment by Somali leaders to providing civic education along with religious guidance in their community. They went from seeing themselves as immigrants and refugees to seeing themselves as American citizens and their mosque as an American institution. Part of their process of integration into American society included understanding their Islamic faith as compatible with U.S. democracy.

On January 1, 2014, a devastating, multi-building fire almost destroyed Dar Al-Hijrah, and it was closed for more than a year. Various neighborhood organizations offered assistance to Dar Al-Hijrah staff and members. Trinity Lutheran Congregation offered space for community meetings and offices in their building on 20th and Riverside Avenues. Worship services were held at the Brian Coyle Community Center.

After extensive renovation to the interior spaces, the mosque reopened in the spring of 2015 with a new entrance on Cedar Avenue. However, the more popular entrance remains around the back of the building. The mosque is a multi-purpose space used for religious worship, weekend Islamic school (dugsi) and community gatherings.