20 May Our Newest Friends
Of all the major world religions, Islam has the second number of believers, and it is the third largest religion in the United States. Most people think of Islam as belonging to the Middle East, but in fact only twenty percent live there. Most Muslims live in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Africa.
Los Angeles is the home to half a million Muslims (second only to New York City). fSince 1965 L.A. has attracted more Muslim Immigrants than any other city. After the Revolution in Iran in 1979 saw an influx of Persians to L.A. The first mosque in L.A. was the Islamic Center of Southern California, which was founded in 1952. Today L.A. is the home to over 120 mosques.
Los Angeles is abundant with the rich contributions of its Muslim citizens. A few prominent celebrities are Mahershala Ali, the 2-time Academy award-winning actor and rapper, Mohamed Hadid, real-estate developer and father of top models Gigi and Bella, Ice Cube, rapper and producer, and Reza Aslan, the author, religious scholar, and host of the show Believer. Shirin Neshat, the Iranian-American artist and film director, does not live in L.A. but deserves honorable mention as the largest exhibition of her work to-date was recently featured at The Broad.
Major Mosques:
Islamic Center of Southern Californa
434 Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020
King Fahad Mosque
10980 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Masjid Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
1025 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007
© 2020 Catherine Auman
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s upcoming book Guide to Spiritual L.A. Check out the progress of the book on the Facebook Page Guide to Spiritual L.A.
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