The Muslim Community Center (MCC) East Bay opened in Hacienda in 2010. First and foremost, the MCC is an Islamic mosque. In the best traditions of Islam, the independent nonprofit provides educational, professional, charitable, social, recreational, and civic activities in the Tri-Valley area, with a special emphasis on youth and seniors.

"We're here to serve the community," says Amir Mustafa, Vice President of the MCC Board. "Also, in Islam, we have daily prayers five times per day. People from the community can come and worship and do their prayers. So, we're pretty much open all the time."

Muslims have their holy day on Fridays. "Friday is a day when a large group of the community gathers to worship to have that connection with our Creator," notes Mustafa. "At the same time, our faith emphasizes getting along with others and supporting the needs of our community. So our faith starts with the connection to our Creator, then serving our community, then doing the right things."

For the MCC, one of those right things has been hosting Your Muslim Neighbor panel discussions. These discussions started in early 2016, about one month after an East Bay woman yelled and tossed coffee at a group of Muslim worshippers near Lake Chabot. That incident inspired members of MCC to create the "Your Muslim Neighbor" program to introduce the MCC community to its neighbors. Those who are curious, friendly, or even afraid of Islam are encouraged to attend a panel discussion and welcome to ask any questions.

"We want our neighbors at Hacienda to visit us," says Munir Safi, Operations Manager. Safi is one of the paid staff working at MCC, which is largely operated by unpaid volunteers.

According to Safi, the MCC's outreach efforts include being a member of Tri-Valley Interfaith Interconnect. The interfaith group has a monthly "chat" meeting hosted by different congregations to discuss spiritual and cultural questions. These monthly meetings provide lively discussions and the opportunity for the different congregations to get to know each other better.

The MCC supports the Tri-Valley area in a variety of ways. Every three months, the MCC congregation hosts a Red Cross blood drive. These blood drives have saved more than 200 lives. The blood drives welcome neighbors as well as MCC members, "so it's nice to see people coming into the mosque for that," says Safi.

The congregation is especially eager to help end hunger by supporting the Alameda Food Bank and Open Heart Food Kitchen. During the holy period of Ramadan, "our congregation is fasting so we have solidarity with persons suffering from hunger," notes Mustafa.

In term of other charity work, "In the past year we have supported more than 300 families with stipends, families on the brink of homeless," says Safi. "We are blessed to be in a community with members who are higher income and, as a result, we are really able to affect life positively."

Like many places of worship, MCC has a Sunday school for youth, as well as a summer camp that has different themes, including coding and skateboarding. MCC has also invited local law enforcement officials in Pleasanton to speak to their youth about Internet safety, as well as about law enforcement careers.

The next Your Muslim Neighbor panel discussion will be held at MCC on Saturday, September 22 from noon to 3 pm. To learn more, please visit mcceastbay.org/muslim-next-door.

For more information about the Muslim Community Center East Bay, please visit mcceastbay.org or www.facebook.com/MCCPleasanton.