Plans for a new mosque
Muslims gather for Friday prayers in Temecula. A rendering shows the mosque proposed for northeastern Temecula, a 24,950-square-foot structure that has drawn opposition. Along with increased traffic and noise, opponents fear the mosque would clash with Temecula’s rural atmosphere and, they say, possibly turn the community of 105,000 into a haven for Islamic extremists.
Read more at “Planned Temecula Valley Mosque Draws Opposition.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Calvary Baptist Church pastor Bill Rench is against the building of the mosque by the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley, saying the two religions “mix like oil and water.” He predicts a “confrontational atmosphere” if the mosque is erected across from his church.
Read more at “Planned Temecula Valley Mosque Draws Opposition.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
After Friday prayers, 8-year-old Aiesha Osman, right, holds containers of lunch bought from a vendor. She stands with her cousins outside the warehouse serving as a temporary mosque, where she and her family worship. Plans for a permanent mosque have sparked heated debate.
Read more at “Planned Temecula Valley Mosque Draws Opposition.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Elizabeth Carpinteyro, holding her month-old son, Ibrahim, waits for doors to open for Friday prayers. Opposition to the mosque has surprised leaders of the Islamic center. They said their current facility has been in town for more than a decade and members have always felt welcome. “Our children go to the same schools their children go to. We shop at the same stores where they shop,” said Mahmoud Harmoush, the imam of the Islamic center and an instructor at Cal State San Bernardino. “All of a sudden our neighbors wake up and they’re opposed to us building the Islamic center there, the mosque.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Muslims take part in a Friday service in Temecula. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A man reads the Koran. The proposal for the new mosque is expected to go before the Temecula Planning Commission in August, and city officials are reviewing the expected effect of the mosque on neighborhood traffic and noise levels and any other environmental concerns.
Read more at “Planned Temecula Valley Mosque Draws Opposition.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
