Tuesday marked the ground-breaking for what will be Charlottesville’s first mosque, a project that has been in the works since 2000.
According to the Islamic Society of Central Virginia’s mosque plans posted on its Web site, the proposed structure is supposed to accommodate “245 worshippers, a dedicated library, office space, 6 classrooms for educational purposes, a kitchen, and a multi-purpose room for lectures and social gatherings.”
To complete its plans, the ISCV’s board of trustees purchased approximately 0.67 acres of land on Pine Street, located in a neighborhood near the University Hospital.
“I think it has been a long time waiting,” said Karim Mohammed, vice chairman of the board of trustees. The Muslim community is “excited that we are making progress with the project. There have been a lot of barriers [to] getting the construction documents and funding approved,”
The ISCV has received ongoing pledges and trustee donors for the mosque but still needs funds in order to keep construction going, according to the plan.
Muslim Students Association President Alla Hassan mentioned that the Muslim community at the University is generally very excited about the start of construction.
“Plans for the mosque to be built started a long time ago,” Hassan said. “In terms of the MSA, we came into the community knowing that a new mosque would be built.”
Hassan said the MSA expects the new mosque to allow more interaction between students and the city’s Muslim community.
“We all pray together; we all celebrate our holidays together,” Hassan said. “In general, it is a very useful tool for the MSA to have. It will be much better because we have more space and other activities and classrooms for children and meeting spaces. It’s just a much better meeting facility.”
Mohammed echoed Hassan’s excitement in having a center for the community.
“I think this will this be a stimulus with the community to really have a place together, and it will be a true community center,” Mohammed said. “It will be a place to celebrate holidays and a place for families to spend together. It is a wonderful thing that we are now breaking ground and moving forward.”
Hassan did, however, express concern that the mosque’s location might be too far away for many students to attend regularly.
“The new location is a little further out, so I am a little worried about people making out to the edge of campus for a 35-minute walk,” Hassan said. “But I am sure we will be able to work it out.”
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