Islamic Society of Central Florida (ISCF)

The Islamic Society of Central Florida was established in 1973 by a few Muslim families in Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida area, intending initially to secure a place to pray together as a community. Little did this handful group of pioneers realize they were actually laying the foundation for the largest and most diverse community of Muslims in Central Florida. By the early 1980s, the families acquired property on Goldenrod Road with a small house on it. This house served as the first unofficial Masjid while a new building was in the initial stages of construction on the same property. With the blessings of God and the contributions of the humble and growing community, brick by brick the first official Masjid in Central Florida was eventually built around 1985. As the community started to grow and waited patiently for the new building to be constructed, the blessed shade of a large oak tree in front of the house served as additional space for the community to perform congregational prayers and Eid celebrations under. In 1995, as the Muslim community continued its growth in numbers and geography, the community decided for the Islamic Society to expand its services to other parts of the greater Orlando area by opening additional locations. The Masjid naming format was developed to have each location be named after the 99 beautiful attributes of Allah (swt). The Masjid on Goldenrod Road, the first official Masjid in Central Florida, was named Masjid Al-Rahman. By the year 2000, the Islamic Society of Central Florida had opened five additional Masjids throughout Central Florida, for a total of six Masjid locations. Visionary members of the ISCF community felt it was necessary to strengthen the foundation for the future of our community and founded the Muslim Academy of Central Florida (MACF) in 1993, later renamed Leaders Preparatory School (LPS). LPS focused on providing stellar education to the future generations of the community with an Islamic environment and foundation. These progressive leaders recognized the value of a good education as stressed by the first revelation revealed to our Beloved Prophet Muhammad. The LPS moved into a new building constructed in 2000, and elevated the full-time school as the first established accredited private Islamic School in Central Florida. After the tragic events of September 2001, the community-wide Da’wah efforts were organized into a new institution at ISCF known as the Center for Peace. The Center for Peace was established to provide outreach on a full-time basis about the Truth regarding Islam and Muslims. ISCF acquired property for a cemetery and named it Rawdat as-Salaam (Garden of Peace). This is the first Muslim only cemetery in the state of Florida, where we can ensure our community members’ final resting place adheres to the rights and respect a Muslim deserves.