About EMAS

The most incalculable challenge living in Diaspora is to craft an lslamic living environment which shall eventually propagate to create a productive and Viable Musim community with strong & adherence to the core values ot islam. Among the many teachings of islam, one that initiated the reason for the inception of EMAS is the explicit delineation of burial ceremony. In the year 1989, a brother known by the name of Ibrahim passed away and all those who reside in the Puget Sound Area heard about it and nearly' all realized that each has a duty to participate in the mourning and burial ceremony. However, there was not any well organized Muslim community to turn to for support or information as to where to look for burial grounds or where to hold the preparation for burial. It was at the midst of all of these sentiments that EMAS was founded. A desperate call was out for all Ethiopian Muslims living in the State of Washington to gather and consult on the importance of forming an organization.
In 1959 all those who responded to the desperate plea came together and unanimously passed the formation of organization now Known as Ethiopian Muslim Association of Seattle (EMA5). The structure of the organization was the initial challenge in the tormation process, Thorough consideration was made s0 as this new organization yet to be formed will meet the criteria to be classified under tax exempt, section 5010(3) 1R.S. status. AlhamduliAllah, in 1994 EMAS was officially declared in the State Washington as a non-Profit organization. EMAS rented a small office in the basement section of Islamic School of Seattle to gather its members tor weekend activities. There were no more than 10 to 15 families back in 1994 and so there was no need for a bigger place

EMAS saw its biggest rise in the new members between the calendar years 1998 to 2002. The number of families sharply rose to 40 and undoubtedly the need for a bigger place was top priority. EMAS rented a two-story building with very large four rooms in an ideal location for majority of its members at that time. As the number of new members increased the organization became roofed in its structure as well as various Islamic programs and activities for the youth and children. With the help of Almighty Allah and very dedicated members EMAS was able to purchase the very same building completely interest (Riba) free with three installments. Consequently, in the past several years EMAS has seen a steady increase in the number of new members. EMAS once again is compelled to look into a much bigger space, one that comfortably accommodates all its members and the weekend programs. EMAS offers to its adult members Quran Recitation and Interpretation, Fiqh, Hadith, etc. special consideration is placed on our children’s Islamic up bringing and well-rounded Islamic knowledge. Quran class for the children is categorized into three: Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. Finally, EMAS is the sponsor for the 2009 BADR annual conference and wants all attendees to know that this year will be a very special and well organized one. Preparation for the conference began early. EMAS had the pleasure to host the year 2002 conference and so the experiences gain then shall come through to better prepare us for that year conference. We shall look forward to see you at the conference and once again be prepared to have a very successful and memorable conference.