Our Story

In 1962, the original Muslim families of Seattle gathered together for the first time at the home of Brother Jamil Abdul Razzak for an iftar. His wife, Joan Razzak, prepared the meal, bringing together a small group of Muslims who would become part of the foundation of Seattle's Muslim community.

Among those present were Mohammed El-Moslimany and his wife, Anne, from Egypt, and Dr. Joseph DiCaprio and his wife, Munira, whose family background was Turkish. These families, along with the Razzak and Junejo families and others who joined them, formed the nucleus of the early Muslim community in Seattle.

The El-Moslimany family would go on to become the founders of the Islamic School of Seattle. Dr. Joseph DiCaprio was also remembered as the first man in the community whom the early Muslims knew to have embraced Islam. His wife, Munira, came from a remarkable Muslim family whose roots traced back to Turkey. Her father had served as the first Imam of the Kobe Mosque in Japan after the family had traveled to Kobe while fleeing Russia.

These early Muslims came from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, but they shared something far more important: a commitment to Islam and a desire to establish a lasting Muslim community for their families and children.

The idea of establishing an Islamic center soon emerged.

Dr. Joseph DiCaprio was among the first to suggest that the community open an account to begin raising funds for a future Islamic center. He turned to Mushtaque Junejo and said, “Brother Mushtaque, let me be the first to contribute,” placing $15 into his hands.

That simple contribution marked the beginning of a much larger endeavor.

On April 26, 1973, Mushtaque opened an account at Washington Mutual Savings Bank under the name The Islamic Center Fund of Seattle. The account was established using the family's home address on 48th Avenue S.W. in Seattle—an address that would continue to receive some Islamic Center correspondence for years afterward.

The community then began the work required to establish the organization formally. In order to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS, a constitution and bylaws were needed. Brother Jamil Abdul Razzak and Brother Mushtaque Junejo sat together in Mushtaque's living room and drafted the documents, drawing primarily from the constitution of the Muslim Student Association while adding a provision establishing a board of founders.

After some difficulty and persistence, the community received approval from the IRS.

The dream of a mosque was becoming a reality.

According to the recollections of Brother Adnan Bakkar, a meeting and retreat was held at Mount Rainier on July 4, 1973. It was there that the community made the decision to purchase a permanent place for the Islamic Center of Seattle.

A membership drive followed. Members committed to paying $10 per person each month, with the goal of securing at least twenty members.

The commitment of the community extended far beyond those who remained in Seattle.

Some members moved away but continued sending their monthly contributions. Brother Sadaat Hassouneh, a Jordanian brother, continued sending his dues—and additional contributions—from Kuwait. Brother Amir Asaidali, an Iranian brother, continued sending his dues from Tehran and contributed even more whenever he returned to Seattle. A Pakistani family in Omak, Washington, faithfully mailed a check each month, as did a family from Richmond, Washington.

Many others quietly contributed in the same way.

The community was united by a common purpose: to establish a permanent home where Muslims could worship Allah, raise their children, learn their faith, and build a strong community together.

By 1974, the time had come.

Brother Mohammed El-Moslimany discovered a house for sale at 3040 South 150th Street, the property that would become the Sea-Tac Mosque and the home of the Islamic Center of Seattle.

He placed a $2,000 down payment on the property and gave the members a choice: they could purchase it for use as an Islamic Center, or he would retain it as his own investment.

When the members visited the property, they immediately saw its potential. The large yard provided space for community activities, and its location next to school grounds offered playing fields where the children could gather and play.

It was, as the early members remembered, difficult to imagine a more suitable place.

The members agreed to purchase the property, and the deed was recorded on March 15, 1974.

That date marked a defining moment in the history of Islam in Washington State.

The Sea-Tac Mosque became the first mosque established in Washington State, earning its place in history as the “Mother Mosque of Washington” and, more broadly, as one of the foundational Muslim institutions of the Pacific Northwest.

Once the property was secured, the excitement was immediate. Everyone contributed whatever they could—time, money, skills, labor, and effort—to transform the house into a home for the Muslim community.

The Islamic Center quickly became more than a building.

Weekends were filled with picnics. Evenings brought potlucks. Boys participated in overnight camping trips, while Sunday school brought families together for Islamic education. During Ramadan, Taraweeh prayers were held every evening, and the building was occupied almost every day.

The members worked side by side to make the property functional.

Brother Adnan Bakkar organized a group to install a new roof on the garage and convert it into a prayer hall. That space would continue to serve as the main prayer area for many years.

Others painted, cleaned, repaired, and improved the building wherever needed.

Mohammed El-Moslimany and his non-Muslim father-in-law repaired the plumbing and completed the property's only bathroom.

The Turulja family, a Bosnian Muslim family, took responsibility for caring for the many fruit trees on the property. They also purchased the community's first Toro lawnmower, helping maintain the enormous lawn that would eventually become the large parking area used by the mosque today.

The property came alive.

Children played outside while adults worked together. Families shared meals. Members gave their time and resources without hesitation. The work was not simply about renovating a building—it was about creating a home.

For the first Muslims of Seattle, this was a place they could finally call their own.

There was a profound sense of unity, ownership, sacrifice, and belonging.

The sacrifices of those early families soon began to bear fruit.

In August 1975, the community received a $6,000 donation from Rabitu Tul Almil Islami. Brother Ismail Ahmed, an Iraqi member of the community, played an instrumental role in securing the donation.

By that time, only $12,000 remained on the mortgage.

The members decided to hold a mortgage-burning gathering and raise the remaining funds. Once again, the community came together.

In a single afternoon, they collected more than $6,000.

Among the largest contributors was the late Brother Rahim Jolley, a longtime Seattle resident. May Allah have mercy upon him, forgive him, and reward him with the highest place in Jannah.

The mortgage was paid down through the generosity of people who believed in the importance of building a permanent Muslim community in the Pacific Northwest.

There are many more details that could be told, but the story of those early years is ultimately a story of people who came together around a common purpose.

The early Muslim community of Seattle was diverse. Its members came from different countries, cultures, and schools of thought. Arabs, Pakistanis, Turks, Bosnians, Iranians, Jordanians, Americans, and others worshipped and worked alongside one another.

Yet the challenges of establishing a Muslim community were greater than the differences that might otherwise have separated them.

As Mushtaque Junejo reflected on those years, there was little room for division over perceived differences. Students and longtime residents were part of the same community. Questions of ethnicity or background did not determine who belonged.

The Muslim Student Association had Shia presidents among its early leaders, and one of the early presidents of the Islamic Center was also Shia. Sister Siddiqa and her husband, Dr. Charles Kunkel, were active and enthusiastic members who contributed greatly to the community.

What united everyone was greater than what distinguished them.

They shared a common goal: to raise good Muslim children and establish a strong, functional Muslim community in which those children could grow.

They understood that this could not be accomplished by individuals alone. It required a community—a place where families could worship together, learn together, serve one another, and build relationships rooted in faith.

That vision became the foundation upon which the Islamic Center of Seattle was built.

What began in the early 1960s with a handful of Muslim families gathering for iftar eventually became the Islamic Center of Seattle – Masjid As-Salaam, a lasting institution serving generations of Muslims throughout the Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest.

From a $15 contribution and a small group of families came a mosque, a school, a community, and a legacy.

The property purchased on March 15, 1974, remains a symbol of the sacrifice and vision of those who came before us. The prayer space, the grounds, the gatherings, and the generations of families who have passed through its doors are all part of a story that began with a simple dream: to establish a place where Muslims could worship Allah and raise their children together.

Today, we carry that trust forward.

The Islamic Center of Seattle – Masjid As-Salaam honors the vision of its founders and the countless individuals and families who contributed to its growth through their time, wealth, labor, and sincere devotion.

For more than five decades, this mosque has stood as a place of worship, learning, fellowship, and service.

It remains, by the grace of Allah, the Mother Mosque of Washington—a living legacy of the early Muslims of the Puget Sound and a foundation for generations yet to come.