Imam Kamil

On September 12, 1968, the name was changed to the Bosnian-American Cultural Association, abbreviated BACA, and Imam Kamil was again elected as its president.However, soon the building could no longer meet the needs of the growing BACA membership.On July 20, 1971, BACA purchased, for about $45,000, two-acres of vacant land at 1810 N. Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL. On December 2, 1972, the BACA Building Committee, decided to form a new corporation, the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago, Inc., abbreviated ICC.The ICC was incorporated on December 26, 1972.Imam Kamil was elected as its first president.

BACA has continued its activities both as a separate corporation and in partnership with its offspring, the ICC.To give assurances to the non-Bosnian Muslims, BACA entered into the TRUST (WAQF) AGREEMENT with the ICC, dated March 1, 1975, retaining the beneficial ownership and power to control the trust but granting the ICC the right to manage said trust property providing that it would be managed by a nine member Board of Directors, four to be elected by BACA, four to be elected by ICC and the ninth member to be selected from the Turkish community.The first phase of the ICC, consisting of educational, social and administrative sections, with a custodian's apartment, was completed at the cost of about $650,000, and opening ceremonies were held on March 21, 1976.Shortly after the completion of the first phase, Imam Kamil resigned as the president of the ICC and was appointed by the ICC Board of Directors as Administrative Director and Imam of the ICC.On April 2, 1977, the new ICC By-laws, which incorporated the required portions of the Trust (WAQF) Agreement, were approved by the ICC members.
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Imam Kamil departed from this temporary dwelling to a better abode in which Almighty God will richly reward him.He was missed very much by the BACA and ICC members.

The old timers had some temporary or visiting Imams (religious ministers) to serve their needs, but with the arrival of new immigrants a need for a well qualified and permanent Imam became more urgent.They invited and sponsored Sheik Kamil Avdich, a well known Bosnian Muslim scholar who had earned the Alimya with Royal Decree from the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, but who refused to return to communist Yugoslavia.

Imam Kamil arrived in February 1954 and on May 3, 1954, he and other Bosnians founded a new organization, the "Muslim Religious and Cultural Home", which was later registered on March 14, 1955, with Imam Kamil Avdich as its first president and Safet Sarich, who was from the first generation of Bosnians born and educated in the U.S., as its first secretary.Cadi Seid ef.Karic, a very prominent Bosnian, was Imam Kamil's first assistant.They collected donations from Bosnians and on August 15, 1956 they purchased two buildings at 1800 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL., for $36,000.With the volunteer work of their enthusiastic members they remodeled a large hall in the larger building into the first mosque, which opened on February 10, 1957.This was the first Muslim institution in the Chicago area which served Bosnians and all other Muslims.It remained open for almost 20 years.On September 12, 1968, the name was changed to the Bosnian-American Cultural Association, abbreviated BACA, and Imam Kamil was again elected as its president.However, soon the building could no longer meet the needs of the growing BACA membership.On July 20, 1971, BACA purchased, for about $45,000, two-acres of vacant land at 1810 N. Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL. On December 2, 1972, the BACA Building Committee, decided to form a new corporation, the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago, Inc., abbreviated ICC.The ICC was incorporated on December 26, 1972.Imam Kamil was elected as its first president. BACA has continued its activities both as a separate corporation and in partnership with its offspring, the ICC.To give assurances to the non-Bosnian Muslims, BACA entered into the TRUST (WAQF) AGREEMENT with the ICC, dated March 1, 1975, retaining the beneficial ownership and power to control the trust but granting the ICC the right to manage said trust property providing that it would be managed by a nine member Board of Directors, four to be elected by BACA, four to be elected by ICC and the ninth member to be selected from the Turkish community.The first phase of the ICC, consisting of educational, social and administrative sections, with a custodian's apartment, was completed at the cost of about $650,000, and opening ceremonies were held on March 21, 1976.Shortly after the completion of the first phase, Imam Kamil resigned as the president of the ICC and was appointed by the ICC Board of Directors as Administrative Director and Imam of the ICC.On April 2, 1977, the new ICC By-laws, which incorporated the required portions of the Trust (WAQF) Agreement, were approved by the ICC members.
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Imam Kamil departed from this temporary dwelling to a better abode in which Almighty God will richly reward him.He was missed very much by the BACA and ICC members.One of the requirements of the Trust Agreement was that an ICC Imam shall be proficient in the Arabic, Bosnian and English languages.After a search, Mustafa Ceric from Bosnia, a graduate from Al-Azhar University, was selected as the new Imam.He arrived in May 1981 from Bosnia and was appointed by the ICC Board as the full time ICC Imam.Dr. Mustafa Ceric received his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1986.After very successfully serving BACA and ICC for over five years, he returned to Bosnia where he became a great religious leader of Bosnian Muslims during the 1992-1995 war and aggression on Bosnia and was elected as their spiritual head with the title of Reisu-l-ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The second phase of the ICC was completed with a prayer hall, minaret and a lecture hall, at the cost of about $800,000.