On May 21, 2015, AMI held a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for our new educational institute and worship center to be located on the
5-acre Tri-Faith campus at 132nd and Pacific Streets in the Sterling Ridge development.
Since our very beginning, AMI’s members have shared a belief in the need to create an educational institute and worship center to promote education, research and intercultural exchange in and beyond our community. The new facility will also serve Omaha’s growing Muslim population, which is expected to exceed 1,000 families by 2020. All funding for the new facility comes from local sources, and local leadership will drive the educational, cultural and religious programs that will make the Institute thrive.
This is also a unique moment to change an age-old paradigm, welcome other faiths and begin a lifelong, mutually respectful dialogue. A coordinated effort between ordinary people, academic, professional and religious leaders is essential to developing an effective Tri-Faith organization, which we believe to be a crucial step toward building awareness and respect of Islam in the Western world.
The American Muslim Institute facility will be approximately 16,000 square feet, with primary prayer space that will accommodate 250 people. Additional space will be developed into classrooms, a library, a social/media room, and a daycare center. Construction is expected to begin this fall, and the building is expected to be completed by early 2017.
AMI has reached $6.2 million of our $6.5 million fundraising goal, but we need your help to further our mission. We hope that our work inspires you to join us in this project by supporting our cause with a financial gift.
Goals
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Establish an Islamic Center that will have educational, religious and social components.
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Intentionally locate the Institute in a Tri-Faith Campus with Judaic and Christian faith partners.
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Build a unified, cohesive and informed American Muslim community in Omaha.
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Invest in our youth to become agents of change and the leaders of tomorrow.
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Change the paradigm of interfaith dialogue where respect comes first.
All About Us
How It All Started
The American Muslim Institute (AMI), formerly the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture (AIISC), was founded in 2006 in Omaha, Nebraska, by a group of American Muslims. Our objective is to promote a better understanding of Islam in the Western world, both within the Muslim and non-Muslim community, and affirm the core values of Islam:
Acceptance, Compassion, Equality, Justice and Peace.
In 2015, our organization name was changed to American Muslim Institute (AMI), a simpler designation that better reflects our mission and core values.