What started as a dinner conversation on a warm summer night in May 2005 among four friends led to the establishment of Midwest Islamic Foundation to serve the Muslims in Southwest Omaha. A modest place was rented as a Musullah around 168th and Harrison. It became a place for Muslims to congregate, pray and be together. Even though three of the original founders have since left Omaha but their Hasanas continue to accumulate. The start was a humble 800 sq foot Musullah, then came a 2,000 sq foot Muslim Community Center, then a Muslim Montessori.

By the grace of almighty Allah Subha-na-Taala there were many changes done to the masjid to increase the capacity of person praying in masjid in the last 2 - 3 years. The population of the Millard and Omaha is growing rapidly with approximately 4000 Muslims, which represents approximately 1200 families. These numbers will increase with new developments in the area in the next 10 years.

A large number of Muslim brothers and sister are visiting the Millard Islamic Center for Prayers and Halaqaah during weekdays and weekend alhamdulillah. Therefore, there was an urgent need to establish a better facility for the growing needs of the community.

To get more exposure, accessibility and keeping in mind that more local people will be involved in this masjid we also changed the name from Midwest Islamic Foundation to Millard Islamic Center. By Allah's grace we have also launched a website for our masjid www.millardislamiccenter.org.

At one time we started with 5 -10 muslim brother praying in masjid but by the grace of Almighty Allah (SWT) we have progress a lot and going forward we need to strive ahead in lot of areas and try to provide best services to the muslim community. It through the Gracious Mercy of Allah (Subha-na-Taala) that we are able to provide the few humble services for the community.

SISTERS: Respect for Sisters and Families is our number one priority. Half of our prayer area is dedicated for sisters. We have a state of the art 55in. LCD TV that transmits activities taking place in the Masjid.. A full kitchen and a private room for the sisters.

With this vision, over the past few years a group of dedicated Muslims have been working very hard to expand the Masjid which will accommodate more people , have accommodations for Islamic classes for children, funeral facilities, a reference library and many other features.

In order to meet the projected construction costs, we have been raising funds in our community. May Allah (SWT) make this path easy for all of us. Aameen.

Best regards,

Abdul Qahar Hikmat
Millard Islamic Center - Administrator

Board of Directors biographies :

AbdulQahar Hikmat
Br. AbdulQahar graduated from the Kabul University of Medicine in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1983. He practiced medicine until mid 1991. In July of 1991, he moved to the U.S. and earned a masters degree in medical sciences. AbdulQahar occasionally delivers the Friday Khutbah at Millard Islamic Center(MIC). He is MIC's administrator and manages all programs at MIC in coordination with ICO to ensure the community has a comfortable place to worship and learn. He actively promotes Islamic activities beginning with his family. His daughter is enrolled in the Omaha Qur’an Academy and his son, Zakaria, was recently married. AbdulQahar strives towards "bringing unity and respect towards each other and serving mankind."

Bilal Khaleeq
Bilal A. Khaleeq, Attorney at Law, received his B.S in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Rice University in Houston, Texas and a Juris Doctorate degree from Creighton University, in Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. Khaleeq is licensed to practice in the Nebraska Supreme Court and the District Courts in Nebraska. He is currently an active member of the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA), Omaha Bar Association (OBA) and the American Bar Association (ABA). Mr. Khaleeq is also very active in local non profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of Trifaith intiative of Nebraska, American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture and the Millard Islamic Center, Inc. He was nominated to receive the FBI Director's Award for Community Outreach for 2009. He also got selected to participate in the Leadership Omaha Class of 2009 offered through the Omaha chamber of Commerce.

Karim Khayati
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