Masjid Ahl-ul Bait

Masjid Ahl-ul-Bait is Denver's most visible Shi'a community. The community is composed of a variety of ethnic and national backgrounds, including Lebanese, Iranian, Iraqi, and South Asian, to mention a few. Members in the late 1980s felt that the particular needs and customs of Shi'a Muslims were not being addressed in the larger Muslim community, so efforts were made to create a distinct and separate community. In the early 1990s a community center was established which provides services including formal religious rituals, educational lectures, language classes and other community activities. Ahl-ul-Bait is located in the suburb of Lakewood just west of downtown Denver in the predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood surrounding Federal Blvd. Its building is in a residential district, though the building itself is an old parish converted into a mosque. The community is small when compared to other Islamic centers and deals primarily with the needs of Shia members.