Vintage

College is a time when ambitious young minds explore the world, challenge received ideas, research their heritage and establish their life priorities, not just professionally but socially and spiritually. College is that time when knowledge of Islam is not only most necessary but most likely to be absorbed by the next generation. This holds not just for Muslim students but for the future leaders and sharpest minds of America and the world, who pass – and will continue to pass –through New York University’s halls. After the events of September 11, the Islamic Center at NYU became quickly and deeply aware of the need to provide educational resources for a public too often limited to unfair and ill-intentioned misrepresentations of the Muslim world. Such a capacity would provide a Muslim community in a globally significant city with a confident voice and tremendous academic and educational expertise.

We are a dynamic, resourceful and innovative organization.  We realize the needfor a fair picture of Islam and the Islamic world during these times.  We understand, because we have ourselves experienced the many ways through which young Muslims have been exposed to their faith, and the different ideas, aspirations and attitudes they bring with them to New York University. Some Muslim students come to college with a deep connection to their faith. Many more arrive with little education in their religion and fragile connections to their community.  We recognize this diversity, and are a product of it.  We believe in an Islamic Center with multiple points of entry – an institution which provides a full spectrum of resources uniting a spectacularly talented and immensely diverse student community. We hope to provide a safe place for Muslims to learn, to pray, to communicate, to build bonds and to share their faith with the wider community. 

Our vision at the Islamic Center is to provide a space for a pluralistic future on and off campus for American Muslims. We hope that the Islamic Center at NYU will become a spiritual and intellectual crossroads of Islam and America, creating a deep and diverse community of ambitions and resources.