In 1987, Sheikh Ahmed Shedi, a Saudi Arabian national enrolled as an undergraduate student at New Hampshire College, which is now Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). As a devout Muslim, Sheikh Ahmed Shedi rented an apartment in Manchester, New Hampshire to be used as a temporary mosque for Muslims residing in the greater Manchester area, as well as Muslim students attending SNHU. While studying in Manchester, this devout Muslim continued to pay for the apartment that served as a mosque. Upon completing his undergraduate studies at SNHU, Sheikh Ahmed Shedi requested the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington D.C. to cover the costs of the temporary mosque, and the embassy honored his request for another six months.

Realizing that a foreign embassy could not continue this support forever, Muslim students at SNHU under the leadership of Professor Mahboubul Hassan requested that the University allocate a room where Muslim students and employees could conduct their Juma prayers (Friday group praying). In the fall of 1988, the University granted Muslim students their request, and assigned the Audio Visual Studio on the South Campus to be used as a temporary room for the Friday prayers. Although the Muslim students appreciated this accommodation on the part of the University, it was not the same as worshiping at a Masjid (mosque). The Muslim students would have to wait for a strong student leader to gain further recognition on campus.

This need for strong Muslim student leadership was answered with the arrivals of Hussein A. Dayib from Kenya and Khurshid Alam from Pakistan. In 1992, with support from the Division of Student Affairs, Hussein Dayib and Khurshid Alam, assumed leadership roles and coordinated the efforts of Aizad Sayid, Imran Shawkat, Ashfaq Baloch, and several other Muslim students to create the Muslim Student Association at SNHU. Hussein Dayib became the first president and Khurshid Alam became the first treasurer of the Association, with Professor Mahboubul Hassan serving as the organization’s advisor. In addition to support from within the SNHU community, Dr. Sayed Elsiah, a surgeon and a cancer specialist from the greater Manchester area, accepted the responsibility of leading the Friday prayers.

Although the Audio Visual Studio had been assigned to the Muslim Student Association for Friday prayers, it was also occasionally used for large classes and special presentations. As the University grew and space became more of a premium, scheduling conflicts ensued. On several occasions the Studio was booked f classes during the designated Friday prayer time. When conflicts occurred, student instruction took priority and the Friday prayer service had to move temporarily to a smaller classroom in Stark Hall. Recognizing this conflict, the University requested the Muslim Student Association to hold their Friday prayer services at the Dance Studio in the gymnasium.

Since the Dance Studio was less conducive to prayer and only available temporarily, several Pakistani students met with Dr. Mohammad Ashraf, former President of the Islamic Society in Quincy, Massachusetts. Dr. Ashraf wrote a letter to Dr. Richard Gustafson, then President of the University, requesting the University authorities to provide the Muslim students and staff a permanent place to hold their Friday prayers in order to fulfill their religious obligation. In 1993, SNHU provided a room in New Hampshire Hall in the North Campus, located in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

From 1993 until mid 1995, the Muslim Student Association had both a dedicated and adequate place for Friday prayer services. But in mid 1995, the University informed Professor Mahboubul Hassan that the Board of Trustees of Southern New Hampshire University had decided to sell the North Campus as part of its campus consolidation project. The University’s intent to sell the North Campus was relayed to the Greater Manchester Muslim community by Professor Mahboubul Hassan. The Muslim Student Association began another effort to identify an accessible location for Friday prayer services.

During late 1997 and early 1998, there was both a sudden influx of refugees from Bosnia, Iraq, and other predominantly Islamic countries and an increased migration of the U.S. Muslim population into the state of New Hampshire. Many of the refugees and U.S. Muslims settled in Greater Manchester because they wanted to raise their children in neighborhoods that were deemed safe with quality school systems and a stable economic climate. During this period, the Muslim community of Greater Manchester grew substantially. Given the size of the Muslim population, it became evident that such a community needed a place of worship to sustain and practice their faith.

Through a town meeting of the Muslim community in Greater Manchester, it was decided that this community would create an organization whose sole purpose was to build the first Mosque in the state of New Hampshire. With this critical objective in mind, the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester (ISGM) was formed in 1998 as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization with Dr. Sayed Elsiah, Mir Salman Saeed, Hussein Dayib, Dr. Salman Malik and Prof. Mahboubul Hassan as incorporators of this society. With help from Attorney Vincent Wenners, ISGM formulated its bylaws that were endorsed and accepted by its membership. The Muslim community of Greater Manchester elected nine Trustees with Professor Mahboubul Hassan, Dr. Sayed Elsiah and Dr. Salman Malik as the first President, Treasurer and Secretary, respectively, of the Executive Board for the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester.

With the sale of the SNHU North Campus pending, designated space at SNHU would no longer be available for Friday prayer services. The newly elected ISGM Executive Board quickly resolved this problem by signing a three year lease for modest office space at 228 Maple Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. Since the lease’s inception, this facility has served as a place of worship for the Muslim community and for regular prayers. It has also been used for Sunday school for Islamic education of children and adults, and for interfaith based programs as well as social and charitable events. Although this space has met some of the basic needs of Muslims residing in New Hampshire, the ISGM has never lost site of the basic need of the community – to build the first Masjid (mosque) in New Hampshire.

Driven by this mission, the ISGM, in 1998 purchased 2.75 acres of land on Karatzas Avenue, Manchester, NH. It later added one more acre of land in 2007. The construction project started in September 2006, with a team of volunteers clearing up the land for site preparation. With over $350,000 in commitments, ISGM continues to raise funds to undertake this substantial task of raising $2.5 million for building a place of worship for its membership and the constituents it represents. The ISGM remains dedicated to supporting and serving the ever-growing Muslim community and remains confident and committed to attain this noble goal.