History of MCM
It was 1991.Not many immigrants knew where is, Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the immigrants knew New York and Chicago, where they landed and settled. But now they were heading west because of Silicon Valley. The City of Phoenix had only one Masjid, ICC. Some members wanted to see changes but met resistance, so they rented a warehouse in 1994 and named It MUSLIM COMMUNITY MOSQUE. The very next the decision was made to buy the land for second Masjid in town. There were several sites considered But the Tall Somalian (Farah Awad) got his heart stuck to the land at 32nd street and McDowell. There was no Muslim population around, so everybody said, “WHO IS GOING TO PRAY THERE.” Do you recall that is what Hazrat Ibraheim said to Allah when he was asked to build in Mecca, OH ALLAH WHO WILL COME HERE TO WORSHIP? Anyway, it was bought and first Jumma was performed in hot month of June holding umbrellas because there was no building.
Soon, a wooden box building was bought and placed over it. Soon Allah mobilizing people who will worship there. The political turmoil in Africa resulted in refugees from Somalia and Sudan, September 11, 2001 refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and later from Burma were all inhabited around this area. Now thousands of immigrant Muslims reside around this area and use this wooden box. The space initially for fifty people can’t accommodate hundreds of the
Through the Big Muslim Fund, we bring them sustainable development solutions like safe water, food and orphan education sponsorship. Once we’ve jumpstarted development by giving them the means, people are able to begin to improve their own lives. With your support, many have already begun to break out of poverty and are working against the odds towards a brighter future. The proposed mosque will be to provide men’s and women’s prayer halls, kitchen, and classes for kids, teens and adults.We bring simple solutions to improve rural communities. These make a lasting impact on the lives of village people tackling poverty. Share them with your friends and family or over social media. Lets spread the word about how much we can achieve when people come together to give their Zakat and Sadaqah towards lasting change.
The Need
Majority of members of the Muslim Community Mosque are low income refugees and don’t have the financial resources to support the mosque’s expansion costs/larger praying facility. Current facility holds approximately 350 worshipers, while on Friday, it reaches its full capacity of over 450 attendees. Hence, over 100 worshipers have to pray outside in hot or cold weather. The ladies pray in a crowded room of 80 square meters with a capacity of 100 only. Current facility is over 50 years old and is turning weak. Tremendous growth of the Muslim community in Phoenix requires a larger praying and parking space. Number of young children requiring Islamic education is also increasing at a fast pace.
The Objective
To meet the growing needs of the Muslim community in Phoenix by building a new mosque that is accessible, can accommodate approximately 1,000 worshipers, and offers supporting services that include a part-time Islamic school.
The Solution
Room for Everyone
By the grace of Allah, we have been blessed with enough land to reconstruct a facility that can address all the above-mentioned challenges. Dedicated classrooms will attract more students and won’t disturb the people praying in the main Masjid. Large women area with sound proof room for infants will let the women enjoy the worship without getting disturbed by the kids. Dedicated dining area will alleviate the load from the praying area. This new masjid will change the perception of the locality and will be a major landmark for the City of Phoenix.
Muslim Community Mosque is a home to a dense neighborhood of Muslims and a center of the Dawat Effort for entire Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, TX. It currently has no dedicated classrooms. Anyone who visits during madrasa hours will notice that the classes are crammed into one corner of the masjid with their voices echoing throughout Masjid. During class timings, woman area is so packed that sister won’t find a quiet place to worship.Bathrooms and Wudu area is falling apart. In Ramdaan, the prayer area must be further restricted to serve the Iftar and Dinner and there is no place to do Eitekaf in the masjid.