Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks Delay Completion of O.C. Mosque

A new Orange County mosque, expected to draw one of the largest Muslim congregations in the nation, will not open Friday as planned because of construction delays blamed on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Even so, despite the wet paint, bare floors and windowless frames, officials of the $2-million Masjid Al-Raham in Garden Grove said Tuesday that they will continue with the Friday and Saturday opening ceremonies, which are expected to attract more than 2,500 Muslims, interfaith leaders and community members.

With invitations already mailed, mosque leaders decided to give tours of the unfinished building and hold an interfaith program, prayers and speeches.

“And we’ll invite everybody back when the mosque is finished,” said Haitham A. Bundakji, a leader of the Islamic Society of Orange County. That should be in about a month, he said. The mosque is being built on the society’s campus.

The terrorism caused county Muslim leaders over the past seven weeks to shift priorities from the mosque and focus instead on security concerns and public outreach.

“We’ve been preoccupied with seminars, town hall meetings and press conferences,” said Bundakji, adding that building decisions and fund-raising efforts were pushed aside.

Mosque officials will have to “pull a rabbit out of the hat” to be permit-ready for this weekend’s events, said a city inspector who visited the site Tuesday. But Bundakji said crews will work around the clock to get the building ready.

The two-story building’s traditional architecture includes a central dome, two minarets (towers, from which Muslims traditionally call people to prayer), dozens of arches and a second-floor balcony where women will worship separately from men. The mosque itself--painted sandstone on the exterior and brilliant white inside--faces northeast to the holy city of Mecca.

Another deadline looming is the holy month of Ramadan, which begins Nov. 16. The period commemorates the revelation of the Koran, Islam’s holy book, to the prophet Muhammad.

During the observance, Muslims are called to fast from sunrise to sunset, say daily prayers and give generously to charity. The faithful believe they will get back 70 times more than they give during Ramadan, making the holiday a key fund-raising time.

$7 Million More Is Needed

The completion of the 17,000-square-foot mosque will mark the end of the initial, $2-million phase of the Islamic Society’s $9-million expansion. Muslim leaders still need to raise about $7 million for the remainder of the project, which includes a school. Islamic law prohibits loans, so the project is being built on a pay-as-you-go basis.

“We’re striving to be ready for Ramadan,” Bundakji said. “We’re very interested in adding a few finishing touches to the mosque and then beginning to raise money for our second phase.”

Designed to be a community center for county Muslims, the complex in its third phase will include two libraries, offices, lecture halls, a meeting hall, regulation indoor basketball court, courtyard, dining area and kitchen and a new wing for the Orange Crescent School.

The mosque will replace a tiny worship hall nearby, where an estimated 2,000 Muslims attend Friday prayer services.

“I visit many temples, synagogues and churches, and I see beautiful buildings,” Bundakji said. “Our new building will be something to be proud of.”

Other county Muslims agree.

“This building basically confirms that Islam is an intricate part of the American fabric,” said Ra’id Faraj, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“And the Muslim community is here to stay. This is home for them.”