The first Muslim immigrants to Toledo came at the turn of the century from Syria and Lebanon. Those few families established the Syrian American Muslim Society in the late thirties. It was not until 1954 that Toledo's first Islamic Center was built on East Bancroft Street, near downtown, fulfilling the needs of the Muslim Community. With the influx of many more Muslims to the Greater Toledo area in the late sixties and early seventies, the Bancroft Street Center could not meet the religious and social needs of its members. After much deliberation and soul searching, it was decided to build a bigger and better facility in order to meet the ever increasing needs of our members. The present new Center in Perrysburg Township had been in the planning for over a decade. The classic Islamic architecture was the first of its kind in North America.
In 1978, forty-eight acres of land was purchased in Perrysburg Township. The foundation of the Center was laid in October 1980, while the actual construction did not begin until September 1982. The building was officially opened on October 22, 1983. Two wings were added in 1991 to accommodate increased enrollment in the weekend school and to expand the social hall facility.
The present Center is the culmination of the dreams and aspirations of the handful of Muslims who migrated to this part of America 75 years ago, and many others who followed their footprints. Today, more than 20 nationalities are represented in the Center. The Center in addition to fulfilling the religious and cultural needs of its members, provides an important bridge of understanding between its members and the community at large. In that, the scope and purpose of the Islamic Center goes well beyond the typical objectives of a religious organization.