Mosque Seeks Holiday Giving

Builders of a grand mosque in Garden Grove are putting their faith in the giving season of Ramadan to help them raise up to $1 million for one of the larger Islamic worship halls in the country.

Ramadan, which begins today, is one of Islam’s most holy holidays and is celebrated by sacrifice in a monthlong fast and a call to increase charitable giving.

“We’re hoping this Ramadan will be very critical in raising funds,” said Ahmed Ali, project coordinator for the Islamic Society of Orange County’s $8-million mosque under construction.

“We remind people that you give from the heart and soul,” he said. “We believe [during Ramadan] you will receive back 70 times more than what you give.”

A dozen mosques in Orange County are available to the county’s Muslim community, estimated at up to 150,000. The largest mosque is the Islamic Society’s center, which attracts overflow crowds of 2,000 active worshipers during its Friday prayer services.

The new mosque eventually will replace the society’s overcrowded, one-story facility next door on 13th Street near Brookhurst Street, where Muslims who come to pray often spill out of the tiny worship hall and are forced to kneel toward Mecca in the building’s hallways, cafeteria and parking lot.

“The project has been in the minds of people for the past 10 years,” said Muzzamil H. Siddiqi, the society’s director.

The project’s first phase, which includes a $2-million, 17,000-square-foot main prayer hall and mortuary, is scheduled to be finished within six months. Sections eventually will be torn down to make room for more parking on the society’s 6-acre site.

The only mosque of similar size in California is in Santa Clara, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the local Council on American-Islamic Relations. That facility is in converted office space and doesn’t reflect the traditional Middle Eastern-styled mosque, he said.

Ramadan celebrates the revelation of the Koran, Islam’s holy book, to the prophet Muhammad. During the monthlong observance, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, say daily prayers and, on the last and holiest day of Ramadan, celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, or Feast of the Fast-Breaking, which falls on Dec. 27 this year.

“Ramadan symbolizes sacrifice in many ways, including giving to charity,” said Fareed Farukhi, a member of the mosque. “Therefore we feel more commitment to give--even a smile is charity. This is an opportune time to reach out to people.”

The daylong fasts, which don’t even allow for drinks of water, make Muslims appreciate the blessings they have, Ayloush said.

“You’re going to have some hunger and thirst,” Ayloush said. “It puts you closer to those who are less fortunate. And when you put yourself in that position, you give more.”

Muslim leaders raised $1 million during Ramadan last year, bringing total donations to $1.2 million. They are paying for the new facility with cash because Islam prohibits paying interest on borrowed money.

Now that donors can see the mosque’s steel beams rising above the society’s one-story building, leaders say the fund-raising will get easier.

“Before we appealed to the people’s imagination,” Ali said. “Now they see the real thing.”

Syed Raza, the project’s architect, said he tried to keep the construction style simple to hold down costs, though he added flourishes like five minarets, a courtyard and Arabic, Indian and Persian arches.

Since men and women aren’t allowed to worship together, the main prayer hall will feature separate entrances and levels. The mezzanine, which also has a nursery, will be reserved for women. Men will pray on the ground floor of the mosque.

“The interior is very exciting,” said Raza, who won a competition involving four other firms to design the buildings. “This is one of the largest mosques [in the U.S.]. They don’t build too many big ones.”

The building will be the first built-from-scratch mosque in Orange County, allowing the architect to place the worship space facing Mecca, Islam’s sacred city in Saudi Arabia.

In mosques originally built for other purposes, Muslims often have to pray at odd angles inside the rooms to make sure they’re kneeling toward Mecca.

“We’ve prayed facing a lot of corners,” Ayloush said.

The mosque, designed also to be a community center for county Muslims, will include a meeting hall, two libraries, a regulation indoor basketball court, offices, lecture halls, dining area and kitchen and an new wing for the Orange Crescent School.

In most major cities in the world, large Muslim populations have built grand mosques that have a similar function as a cathedral--drawing in worshipers for major events and also acting as a social center.

“As congregations grow, people want to build larger mosques,” said Timur Kuran, a USC professor who holds the King Faisal chair in Islamic Thought and Culture. “There isn’t one currently in Los Angeles, so it was only a matter of time before one like this was built.”

Saghir Aslam, one of the local Islamic Society’s pioneers, arrived in Orange County in 1962. The first prayer meeting he organized drew fewer than a dozen Muslims. With the huge growth since then, he believes the new mosque is long overdue.

“This is one of the largest Islamic centers in the entire U.S., and we don’t have a proper mosque,” Aslam said. “The whole community is excited and looking forward to it.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Season of Fasting

Q: What is Ramadan?

A: A month-long Muslim holiday that celebrates the revelation of the Koran, Islam’s holy book, to the prophet Muhammad. The Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars or basic duties of Islam. The other pillars are the shahadah , or profession of faith; the salat , or formal prayer; the zakat , a tithing for charity, and the Hajj , a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Q: What happens during Ramadan?

A: Ramadan is about sacrifice, community, introspection and charity. Muslims fast during the day. They go to the mosque daily to say special Taraweeh prayers, which incorporate extended readings from the Koran. They’re expected to give more to charity. And they get together each evening to break their fast.

Q: Why do Muslims fast?

A: Fasting causes Muslims to better understand the world’s suffering and also better appreciate their own blessings. The fast centers the Muslims’ thoughts on spiritual matters and teaches them self-control. In addition, it helps to bind the community together.

Q: Why is Ramadan at a different time each year?

A: The month of Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, so the holiday moves up 11 days each year.

Q: What is Lailat ul-Qadr?

A: The “Night of Power,” observed toward the end of Ramadan, is the anniversary of the night that the Prophet Muhammad first heard revelations from God through the angel Gabriel. Most mosques will have an all-night program that includes a dinner, lessons and prayers.

Q: When does Ramadan end?

A: Ramadan ends with Eid ul-Fitr , or Feast of the Fast-Breaking, one of the holiest days of the Islamic year. In Orange County, more than 10,000 Muslims are expected to attend the celebration at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Many other thousands will meet at mosques or other locations.

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations