Islamic Center of America - Dearborn, Michigan
The Islamic Center of America traces its roots to 1949, when Imam Mohammad Jawad Chirri, a religious scholar, came to America at the request of a group seeking Islamic guidance. By the 1950s, a group of young Lebanese-Americans worked to establish Michigan’s first Shia mosque, and Imam Chirri was invited to lead the newly formed Islamic Center Foundation Society, which evolved into the Islamic Center of Detroit that opened in 1963.
Chuang Yen Monastery - Carmel, New York
This serene Buddhist temple is set within 225 acres in Putnam County. The property features simple, peaceful grounds anchored by an evocative main building. Inside, visitors will surely gasp when seeing the largest indoor statue (37 feet) of a Buddha in the Western Hemisphere (artfully surrounded by some 10,000 tiny buddhas). The site, dedicated to peace, is operated by the Buddhist Association of the United States, which describes itself as “a non-denominational organization dedicated to promoting the Buddha’s teachings in the United States.”
