New Building at Islamic Center Opens Just in Time for End of Ramadan

Originally written and reported by Alex Tiegen Oct. 4, 2011

On the last night of Ramadan, Waali Ahmed, 13, broke his fast indoors.

For most of the holy month, worshipers at the Islamic Center of New Port Richey broke their fasts outside the mosque on the Center property. They were shielded from rain and heat by tents: one for men, one for women. They did this since the mosque first opened years ago.

Then, on Aug. 24, a new 7,000-square-foot building on the Islamic Center property opened its doors and worshipers broke fast within for the first time.

And on Monday, Aug. 29, the last night of the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, Waali sat at a table eating in the air-conditioned building at 4715 Grand Blvd.

“It’s a lot better than eating outside,” said Waali, who has attended the mosque since it opened.

The building, which cost about $930,000, is located on Islamic Center property, next to the mosque. It is owned by the Islamic Center but is leased and managed by an entity called Community Humanitarian Service Center of Pasco, said Dr. Farrukh Zaidi, who practices rheumatology in Port Richey and Spring Hill.

Members of the mosque’s board of directors sit on the board of Community Humanitarian Service Center, which is headed by Haider Khan, a Tampa doctor.

“The hope was that we would be able to move in just before the month of Ramadan,” said Zaidi, a board member at the Islamic Center who is a spokesman for the Community Humanitarian Service Center. "But you know, there was some glitches and with some administrative hurdles, we just could not move in until the last week. But we’re still grateful that we’re able to move in in the last week."

Zaidi said money was raised for the building relatively quickly. The ground was broken on the building in February, and the community was able to break fast inside Aug. 24.

The genesis of the idea for the building came a few years ago when worshippers at the Islamic Center mosque said they wanted a place to break the Ramadan fast indoors, Zaidi said. The idea expanded to hold events, like cultural festivities and birthday parties, year-round for the mosque community and maybe open up the building to others.

Then came the idea to capitalize on the expertise of physicians in the community to provide health services for the uninsured in the outside community. There were ideas to offer educational services like teaching English as a second language to immigrants and test prep for children. Also considered were food pantry and inter-faith services.

“It bloomed from initial need to break our fast to something larger,” Zaidi said.

The actual plan for specific services to be offered at the building will be decided in the coming months, Zaidi said. In the meantime, it’s being used exclusively by members of the mosque community. Prayer services will continue to be held in the mosque on the Islamic Center property, which opened its doors in 2007, while the center will host cultural events and the like, Zaidi said.

Before the Islamic Center mosque was built, its pioneers worshiped in local doctors’ offices or traveled to nearby mosques.

Zaidi said about 150-200 worshippers attend the mosque, and it attracts a diverse congregation. It is predominantly Sunni, the largest branch of Islam. It attracts worshipers from North Pinellas to Hudson and east to the Odessa/Land O’ Lakes area.

On Monday, worshipers gathered at tables in the spacious new building; men divided from women by a temporary barrier. Each section had room for tables. They snacked on dates, cherries, chickpeas and samosas, then walked to the mosque for prayer. Then, it was back to the new building for a feast.

Phil Kennedy, a Palm Harbor resident who sometimes attends the mosque, said the new building might be able to provide more unity between men and women as well as services for the poor.

"It's a building with a kitchen," he said. "Now what are we going to do with it?"