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History of MHIAThe history of the Mid-Hudson Islamic
Association (MHIA) can be traced back to the early 1960's, when there were only
a very few Muslims in the Hudson Valley. The 1970's and 80's saw an influx of
Muslim families into the region, including conversion to Islam, thus increasing
the population from a few professionals and college students, to people from all
walks of life. Early on, local Muslims got together in the basements of people's
homes to pray or hold weekly classes. This resulted in the formation of the
Mid-Hudson Islamic Association. As the number of Muslim families grew, the MHIA
worked towards building a Masjid which would not only be big enough to hold
prayer gatherings, but could also serve as a center for community activities. In
1990 MHIA achieved the goal of building a Masjid in Wappinger Falls,
establishing an Islamic Sunday school, and creating space for a Muslim community
hall. More recently MHIA has been actively working with other religious
organizations to enhance interfaith harmony, as well as reaching out to other
community organizations and participating in every aspect of American life. Just
as Islam is represented by people from every corner of the globe, this diversity
is also reflected in the Muslim population of the Mid-Hudson Valley. While, the
majority of the Muslims in Dutchess County are from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
and the Middle East, there is a large and growing number of Muslims who are
African-American. There is also a small number of Muslims who represent other
ethnic or national backgrounds, such as, Asians, Europeans or Africans.
Contact Information
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