The South Valley Islamic Community (SVIC) represents a group of Muslim families residing in South Santa Clara and San Benito counties (California) who have come together to learn and practice our faith, Islam.
Our member demographics are varied, from singles to families and from students to the retired. Ethnically, culturally and linguistically we are equally diverse, with representatives from practically every major region in the world. Our commonalty is that we are Muslim Americans and this is our home.
Our place for congregational prayers and community events is the "masjid" or mosque. Our masjid is a House of God; as such it welcomes all children of Adam.
SVIC is a non-profit religious organization dedicated to helping and encouraging Muslims and non-Muslims acquire the basic knowledge of Islam through a free exchange of ideas in an environment of civility and mutual respect that would lead to a greater understanding and peace in our society.
SVIC is a California corporation registered under the IRS Code 501 (C) (3).
Cordoba (Al Qurtuba), the capital city under the Moorish rule in Spain, also known as the “European Jewel of the Middle Ages,” was the cradle of Islamic civilization in the West for over five hundred years. During the Moorish centuries, Cordoba has been recorded in history as the greatest intellectual and cultural center of Europe in an era that is otherwise related to as the “dark ages” of the medieval Europe.
Nestled in the gentle rolling hills of south Santa Clara county (California), reminiscent of the Andalusian countryside, the Cordoba Center project has been initiated by the South Valley Islamic Community (SVIC) to commemorate and preserve the legacy of this remarkable place and period in the Islamic history.
Once complete, this master-planned campus will yield multiple facilities to accommodate the social, intellectual and religious needs of a diverse and multi-cultural Muslim community. It will also serve as a shining beacon of rich Islamic traditions, in the pluralistic and benevolent spirit of the Andalusian Muslims, towards achieving cohesion, recognition and homogeneity within the society at large.
American Muslims need strong communities and robust institutions that will help to project us into the cultural mainstream of our nation and add the Muslim perspective to the events and issues contemplated in our society. The Cordoba Center lays the foundations for such an institution, boldly unique in many perspectives, that will serve the local Muslims today and our many generations to follow… insha’Allah (God willing).
We hope that you will share our vision and help transform this dream into a glaring reality… A'meen. Back to the top.
As Muslims we subscribe to the five basic pillars of our faith, Islam. They are:
As with any major faith, there is a wide spectrum of theological beliefs within Islam. We are proud that our organization has members from various mainstream schools of jurisprudence (Fiqh) in Islam
As Americans we see no incompatibility between the founding principles of our nation and the values promoted by our faith. As such our allegiance is to this one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all. Back to the top.
Although our primary purpose is to meet the spiritual obligations of our members, we are also active in and strive to fulfill their social, educational and other needs. Thus we provide a facility for our regular Friday and other congregational prayers, such as the Taraweeh prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Additionally we offer regular Sunday religious classes for children.
Our social activities include an annual Summer Picnic, Feeding the Soul community dinner during Ramadan and organized outdoor activities such as hiking trips and games. There is also a women's club that meets regularly at one of the member’s home. Its charter includes, among other social activities, to promote women's interests and participation in the affairs of the mosque and those of the greater community.
We are also active in our larger South Valley community and undertake joint activities with other religious and non-religious organizations. A few years ago we participated in a highly successful Piece Process Program, jointly sponsored with the local Emeth Congregation and Gavilan College, where we exhibited works of Jewish and Palestinian artists and conducted panel discussions on the subject of peace in the Middle East with experts from across the Bay Area.
Shortly after the horrific tragedy of 9-11-2001 we, together with St. Catherine Church Morgan Hill, sponsored an Interfaith Service that was well attended by the community. We have also participated in co-sponsoring the Lord’s Table at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Gilroy.
We also volunteer in community activities such as the Morgan Hill Independence Day Parade and the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Children from our congregation also participate in events organized by other institutions, including but not limited to feeding the disabled at area nursing homes and cleaning local beaches. Back to the top.
A few weeks before the holy month of Ramadan in 1999, a handful of us (six to be exact) gathered for coffee in the house of one of the participants. Out of that meeting grew the idea that we should have a place where we could meet regularly to meet our spiritual needs right here in our community. At the time we had to drive to the mosques in San Jose or Santa Clara for our congregational prayers and other religious functions.
Realizing the limitations of our small group, we sought help from a more established and bigger Islamic organization in San Jose, the South Bay Islamic Association. Through their encouragement and support we managed to rent an office space in Morgan Hill where we had our first congregational prayers just in time to celebrate the arrival of Ramadan that year (1999).
Through the generosity of one of our members, we later (2001) moved to a converted barn on his property. At about this time we were able to begin regular Sunday school classes for our children. We also acquired the services of a part-time Imam (Muslim pastor) in the person of Sheikh Ilyas Anwar. Imam Ilyas is no stranger to many of us as he was raised in San Jose and attended the local public school. His father, Sheikh Anwar, was the Imam at the San Jose mosque in the 1980s.
Our Sunday school for the children is our most gratifying development. From its modest beginning of only a few students, it now has an enrolment of nearly thirty-five. It graduated its first class (of four students) last spring (2007). Our school is now fast out-growing our current facility!
Our Friday congregational prayers now regularly have over two dozen of the faithful. On Eid prayers and special celebrations we have had attendances in excess of 100.
Although we estimate that there are approximately 250 Muslim families throughout the south valley area, thus far our group consists of about 35 participating families. With the construction of our new facility (Cordoba Center) in San Martin, we hope eventually to reach the rest. Back to the top.