A gift to Seattle, open to all since 1981
Sheikh Abdul Kadir Idriss Mosque, known as Idris Mosque, opened in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood in 1981 as the city’s first purpose-built mosque. HistoryLink (opens in a new tab), the encyclopedia of Washington State history, records it as the first mosque west of the Mississippi River built in a Middle Eastern design.
How the mosque came to be
Idris Mosque is a gift, from Allah to Seattle and the Northwest region, through the late Sheikh Abdul Kadir Idriss. His generosity in purchasing the land and financing the mosque, as a place to benefit all people, from near and far, is a blessing.
Adnan Idriss, the Sheikh’s son-in-law, and his wife, Sister Ameerah, the Sheikh’s daughter, oversaw the design and construction. The architect was Dennis Alkire of Mithun Associates, and the mosque opened in the fall of 1981: a brick prayer hall under an octagonal copper dome, with a minaret and tall glass-block windows under lintels shaped like Moorish arches.
Idris Mosque is not a membership organization. It welcomes thousands of worshippers and visitors every year regardless of creed, ethnicity, race, culture or background, and offers services and activities for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to improve our communities and relationships across the greater Seattle and Puget Sound region.
The mosque is a long-standing member of the Seattle interfaith community and shares knowledge about Islam with the Muslim community, with the media and at public events. Its land and building are held by the Sheikh Abdul Kadir Idriss Mosque Trust, a title-holding nonprofit formed for the mosque in 1981 and governed by a Board of Trustees. The mosque itself is run by the Islamic Center of Washington.
Knowledge, understanding and friendship
“We resolve to ensure opportunities for both Muslims and non-Muslims to gain knowledge and understanding of the religion of Islam.”
The Islamic Center of Washington, in collaboration with Idris Mosque, is resolved to develop, create and empower upright, competent ambassadors to represent Islam to the public and to all Muslim communities, and to establish positive relationships with our diverse Islamic families, partners and communities, by extending friendship, strengthening bonds, and building a solid foundation for the future of Islam.
The organization behind the mosque
The Islamic Center of Washington (ICW) is a Washington nonprofit corporation and a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity. The Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Abdul Kadir Idriss Mosque Trust has authorized it to manage and supervise the mosque’s properties, programs and operations.
Gifts for the mosque are made to ICW (EIN 76-3135140) and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Trust only holds the property; gifts to it are not tax-deductible.
Educational Advisory Committee
The Educational Advisory Committee works with and on behalf of ICW’s Educational Programs Office to provide quality educational opportunities for children, youth and families. It sets the operational guidelines and budget for the mosque’s educational programs, gathers community input, helps select competent program staff, and reviews programs quarterly to keep them aligned with the ICW mission.
Education mission
To ensure educational opportunities are provided for Muslims and non-Muslims to gain knowledge and understanding and to enhance personal and societal success, and to establish positive relationships with our diverse Islamic families, local businesses and community members through friendship, partnership and collaboration.
Program goals
- Self-esteem and academic enrichment programs for students, building emotional intelligence alongside Islamic and academic knowledge in Arabic, mathematics, reading and language arts.
- Annual public events such as cultural expositions and family seminars, and learning expositions open to the public.
- Islamic literature and multimedia materials in hospitals, libraries and schools, and participation in civic and community forums.
- Emergency assistance programs for individuals and families, and charity distributed to do good works.
- Partnerships with Islamic and non-Islamic organizations to strengthen bonds and create dialogue that raises public awareness of Islam.
Visitors are always welcome
Whether you are new to Seattle, curious about Islam, or organizing a school or interfaith visit, the doors are open. Tours end with a short talk and time for your questions.
