Welcome to the Ahlul Bait Cultural Center
Ahlul Bait Cultural Center ’s community: They are mostly new Iraqi immigrant of the early 1990s. In addition to the Iraqis, there are several other Arab nationalities such as Lebanese, Moroccans, Algerians, Palestinians, and a large number of students from Saudi Arabia (more than 20 families) who came to study in the Chicago area. 60% of the youth are under the age of 12.
The Resident Scholar
Sheikh Mohamad Al-Ansari, Resident Aalim
This community is led by the religious scholar Shaykh Mohammad Alwan Al-Ansari, commonly called as Shaykh Abu Ibrahim. Sahykh Abu Ibrahim story is typical for the members of the community, although each of the members’ experiences has its own troubles.
Shaykh Abu Ibrahim was born in the southern city of Nasiryya in 1960. This is where he finished his elementary studies in regular academic schools. Then he moved to Hilla for Middle school and back again to Nasiryya for High school. After finishing high school, he joined the College of Natural sciences of the University of Mustansiriya to study Mathematics. In 1981 he had to leave his university studies and go into hiding after finishing his third year, one year being left to finish his bachelor. He had to keep into hiding until 1984 as the despotic regime, then, issued a death sentence for him and his colleagues of believers, after that going to the school of hawza. In 1995 he immigrated to Lebanon for advocating religion and teaching at the Imam Sadiq Academy for seminaries studies in Ansar close to the city of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. In 2000, Shaykh Abu Ibrahim immigrated to the US and established Ahlul Bait Cultural Center in Chicago. Currently, the center is housed on 2425 Main Street in Evanston,IL.
Under the Shaykh’s efforts the community has grown numbers and will continue to grow Inshallah.