PENINSULA ISLAMIC COMMUNITY CENTER
About PICC
Muslims doing Allah’s work together.
Who we are
A place to worship, learn, serve, and belong
Peninsula Islamic Community Center is a home for Muslims across the Hampton Roads Area. We create room for prayer, learning, family life, friendship, and service, with programs shaped by the needs of our community.
OUR APPROACH
Strong communities grow through consistent care.
PICC brings spiritual life and practical community support into the same shared space. Whether you are joining a class, volunteering at an event, or simply looking for a place to pray, you are part of a community that values connection and service.
Our History
A home for the Peninsula’s Muslim community since the early 2000s
Early 2000s
A group of Yorktown, VA families envisions a center for prayer, education, and community life.
Today
A group of Yorktown, VA families envisions a center for prayer, education, and community life.
The origins of the Peninsula Islamic Community Center (PICC) date back to the early 2000s, when a small group of dedicated residents from Yorktown, Virginia, came together with a shared vision of establishing an Islamic center that would serve the spiritual, educational, and social needs of the local Muslim community.
After carefully evaluating several potential locations and facilities, the founders unanimously selected the Center’s present site. Following this decision, efforts to acquire the property and formally establish the organization with local, state, and federal authorities commenced in July 2015. In September 2015, a caretaker Board of Trustees and executive leadership team were appointed and tasked with developing a founding Constitution grounded in Islamic principles and guided by the values of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, democratic governance, and community outreach.
PICC was incorporated as a religious, nonprofit organization in the Commonwealth of Virginia in October 2015.
Located at 1217 Todds Lane in Hampton, Virginia, PICC purchased its current property in September 2019. The campus includes an 8,000-square-foot facility situated on more than eight acres of land, providing ample space for worship, education, recreation, and community gatherings.
Our mission
Muslims doing Allah’s work together
Our mission is simple: live our faith with intention, care for one another, and make a constructive contribution to the wider community.
01
Put faith into action
We aim to be an active community, fulfilling our religious and civic responsibilities through worship, service, and steady participation in the life of Hampton Roads.
02
Seek Allah’s pleasure
We want our work to be guided by Islamic principles and carried out with sincerity, humility, and care for the people we serve.
03
Build together
We bring people together to create programs and services that encourage inclusion, cooperation, and a shared commitment to the common good.
“And Allah invites us to the Home of Peace”
OUR VISION
To be a vibrant Islamic center and a hub of Islamic activity in the Hampton Roads Area, offering programs and services that respond to the needs of local Muslims and promote a positive understanding of Islam.
Our Imam
Sheikh Ahmed El Shahawee
Guided by scholarship, shaped by service
- Graduated from Al-Azhar University in Cairo with a Bachelor’s Degree, first in class.
- Earned several certificates, including Ulum Al-Qur’an, and a Master’s Degree, again first in class.
- One of the first graduates of Al-Azhar’s Ph.D. program in his field, first in class.
- Served as lead Imam in two different countries for many years before joining PICC.
Our board
Guided by people who serve
PICC is cared for by a board that helps steward the center and support its mission.
MA
Mohammed Amer
chairman, board of trustees
Navid Jafari
Trustee
AO
Ali Omar
Trustee
CS
Chand Syed
Trustee
HS
Hussain Surani
Trustee
Executive officers
Leading the work of the center
PICC’s executive officers manage the center’s day-to-day operations and carry out the direction set by the board.
NJ
Dr. Naved Jafri
President
MA
Md Nure Alam (Arif)
Vice President
OA
Omar Alkadhi
Secretary
SA
Shazia Amer
Treasurer
