Islamic Education Center (IEC) of Florida

Background

According to its website, the Islamic Education Center (IEC) of Florida is a Shia Muslim religious organization that claims to follow the principles of Islam according to the Qur’an. It describes itself as “a multicultural, multi-ethnic community.” ¹

The group was created in 1989 by three families from four countries who aimed to create a Shia Islamic center in the Orlando, Florida area. The goal of the founding members was to raise their children according to Islamic teachings. It was formally moved from a member’s home address to an office on Orienta Ave in the town of Maitland in 1991. ¹

As its membership size grew, it became a “multicultural Shia center” that primarily served to host family-oriented Islamic gatherings. In 2003, the organization bought three properties using members’ donations to erect places of worship. Construction began in 2006, with the location at 2221 Harrell Road being completed in 2009 as the group did not want to take out any loans and had to build at a gradual pace. ¹

Activities

The IEC of Florida runs an “Islamic Learning Center” featuring weekly classes for its members’ children. It takes place over the course of an evening and features prayer and educational sessions. ¹

On Thursdays the organization holds a “Maghrib” prayer and a Dua Kumayl supplication. It holds prayers on Fridays, acting as a mosque. ¹ It also offers burial services for its members, with burials in the Muslim graveyard next to the Baldwin Park/Chapel Hill Cemetery in Orlando, Florida, which is owned and operated by Masjid Al-Rahman. ²

Financials

Islamic Education Center of Florida only filed one tax return in its history: in December 2004, roughly one year after it was registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). At the time, it was designated as a 501(c)(3) organization. That year, it reported a revenue of $24,012, expenses of $23,016, and net assets of $9,398. ³ Churches and similar religious organizations like mosques are exempt from the requirement to file nonprofit tax returns that applies to other nonprofit organizations. ⁴

The organization charges families $35 per month and single individuals $20 per month to become official members. On the membership sign-up form, it inquires about one’s skills, information about one’s children, one’s occupation, and the name of one’s spouse. ⁵