Faith in Action

We’re American and We’re Muslim

Religious convictions can be a significant factor in promoting divisiveness and enmity—or in building the trust needed to move communities toward understanding, empathy, and mutual compassion.

The MCC’s steadfast community outreach and interfaith cooperation is grounded in a conviction and a strong trend by American Muslims to give back to our communities and to help clear up misconceptions about Islam. Our faith inspires us to improve society and this is how we serve our community:

Quarterly Blood Drives

As people of faith, it is in our blood to roll up our sleeve and give. We know we’re someone’s type. Since 2016, our congregation members roll up their sleeves and donate life during our Friday Jumu’ah service. We are nearing our 20th and our congregation has pumped several gallons of blood into our national blood supply. Donate

Monthly Highway Cleanups

The Tri-Valley’s three mosques in Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore join on a Saturday morning each month and clean our adopted stretch of Interstate 680. We do this good to drive strengthen social cohesion in our community and in doing so we follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s Prophetic injunction to pick up trash from the road. It is a point of personal pride for the 15,000+ Muslims to drive by our sponsored part of I-680 and see a clean road. Volunteer

Monthly Food Distribution

The MCC partners with Axis Community Health, an MCC neighbor that serves low-income and uninsured residents in the Tri-Valley, to provide free food to Axis clients. MCC congregation members help our food insecure household access this fresh and health food during this monthly distribution (leftover food is often shared with MCC’s in-house food pantry). Volunteer and read more

Voting Site

The MCC serves as an Alameda County voting site. During midterm and general elections, we host four precincts in our Fellowship Hall and up to 500 voters visit the community center to cast their ballot or drop off a ballot. Each election cycle, we also engage with our local politicians and host candidate forums in partnership with CAIR San Francisco.

Friday Service Visits

We are privileged to live in a multifaith community with an ethos toward understanding, empathy, and mutual compassion. At MCC, we routinely opens our doors to community members. Many visitors join us for Friday services. They come seeking to learn about and appreciate Islamic beliefs and Muslim cultures.

Open Houses

Requests for learning opportunities spiked after the 2016 Election and in the months following the Election, the MCC hosted seven open houses that were each attended by about 100 East Bay neighbors. A congregation-led panel called “Your Muslim Neighbor Next Door” has spoken at Churches, libraries, schools, businesses, and civic and community center (watch these panels and more at mcceastbay.org/interfaith).

Red Cross Disaster Site

If an emergency has forced our neighbors to evacuate their home, we are here for them. We serve as a Red Cross and FEMA shelter. During a disaster or community emergency, our congregation is proud to provide a safe space to sleep and access case workers to help our neighbors with disaster recovery.

English Learning Classes

The MCC hosts year-round free multi-level English learning courses in partnership with the Pleasanton Unified School District’s Adult and Career Education Initiative program. Learn more

Interfaith Interconnect

MCC leadership attend and interact with leaders from other faith-based organizations via the Tri-Valley Interfaith Interconnect. Our interfaith work is focused on finding common ground with practitioners of other faiths while conveying the truths about our own faith with utmost clarity. The hope is to spark discussion between thinkers that fosters mutual understanding and acceptance while forging new friendships and alliances.

Special Needs Mosque

When the MCC staff and volunteers work daily to help community members find faith through community, we mean ALL community members! In 2017, the MCC became the first certified masjid on the West Coast. Through MUHSEN certifying body, we are now the Golden State’s only gold-certified mosque. That means our facility is special needs friendly, a staff member is dedicated to make special needs families are accommodated and we host support groups and classes to cater to all. Learn more

City Council Engagement

Each August, MCC works with our city council officials in Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and San Ramon for recognition of the American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.

Covid Testing

From January to May 2022, MCC facilitated daily free Covid testing for the community in our parking lot.

Green Mosque

The MCC is a green facility. That means we aim each day to eliminate waste headed to our area landfills by use only compostable dinnerware and utensils for the more than 10,000 meals served annually at our community center. We also host educational workshops, sermons, and talks, to nurture the relationship between Islam and environment in our congregation. Learn more

“A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity; a good word is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” (The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as cited in Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Being a believing Muslim is not a passive act – it means actively upholding and bettering our community through our charity, whether it is our love, time, or money. We are working to make faith part of the solution. It is the perfect antidote to a rising tide of anger, fear, and incrimination in our community.