About 30 years ago, Mrs. Rubina Bari and her friends gathered their children on weekends to learn about their faith and dreamt of a masjid. Today, a bull dozer cast a shadow over the large group gathered in the cold February morning for the groundbreaking of new extension of the ADAMS center which will include a 4057 sq ft masjid framed by large picture windows —a new phase in its history. In the 1990s she stood in the same spot laying the foundation for the Islamic Center in Sterling, Virginia. “It was so emotional,” she says, pulling her black shawl close. She urges old friend Souzan Barzinji to pick up a shovel and dig— a dream is coming true. In 1983, a small group of families in Herndon and Reston established the center, including the families of the late Dr Jamal Barzinji, Yaqoub Mirza, Hisham Al Talib, and Abdul Rashid.
Construction for the masjid starts on March 1 and is schedule to complete in Dec 2016 by Whiting-Turner, the company who constructed the original structure.
Syed Moktadir, President and CEO of ADAMS, congratulated his community on the project coming to fruition. He paid tribute to American Muslim history as the community continues to grow. “We must honor and remember our forefathers, our [enslaved] brothers and sisters, who originally sacrificed their lives,” he states to full house at the ADAMS gymnasium, on February 26, 2016.
Rizwan Jaka, Chair of Board, introduces civic and government leaders who gathered to break ground with the community. “I look forward to the construction process taking place as I go for my morning runs,” he says. Leaders from the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) urge the crowd to vote in the Virginia Primary and note the Anti Muslim rhetoric raising in national political platforms.
After Friday prayers, the community held a janaza bil ghaib (funeral in absentia), led by former South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, for the Muslims who passed away while enslaved in the Americas. “This is the story of African Americans [who] created Muslim heritage in America – so we do our fardh kifayah (communal obligatory act) for our ancestors,” says Moktadir.
ADAMS plans to dedicate the last Friday of February to this ongoing effort. “There is interest around the country and we want to promote the idea that collectively every [American] mosque [perform] Janazah al Ghaib for African Americans. Imam Magid will lead the effort,” shares Moktadir.
ADAMS has grown into one of the largest Muslim communities in the D.C. Metro Area. It took 10 years of planning and fundraising for the construction of Phase III. Phase II was the expansion of parking lot. When Syed Moktadir was running for election for the president position, completion of Phase III was a part of his platform. He says real traction for the extension started in 2015, when ADAMS started its fundraising campaign.
The new extension will accommodate a permanent prayer space for 900 worshipers and a gallery for observers overlooking the jamaat. “We often have elected officials and diplomats come to observe and speak,” he remarks. A second floor staircase will bring these speakers closer to the mimbar. ADAMS serves as a center for diplomat training for the U.S. Government as well as hundreds of exchange students.
A banquet hall for community gathering, meeting rooms and new imam’s office are part of the expansion.
The existing building will be used for youth activities. The ADAMS youth are planning and creating a business plan for the café. They were integral in planning for a permanent youth center in the existing building. Remembering all the bake sales, volunteering and presentations, the young Muslims look forward to having their own space. ”We love to be appreciated. Our proposals are looked as if we are their most important clients... we have a voice in Phase III,” says Rabea Baig, the youth representative speaking at the ceremony.
Board policy mandates that any project can only be started with 50 percent of funds in hand. While fundraising, the team simultaneously worked on the bidding process and permit process.
The community connected and made special duas from November to May and collectively recited Qur'an for the completion of the project, shared Moktadir.
There are two full-service ADAMS Center campuses in Ashburn and Chantilly, Virginia as well as seven satellite campuses, which are located along the Route 267 and Route 28 corridors. These satellite sites specifically run Friday prayers. A full-service ADAMS Center campus in Gainesville, Virginia is currently in development.
Geographically, present and future ADAMS center 50 miles radius from the main Sterling center. Each one of the centers has a unique story. As a part of ADAMS, a new Islamic Center doesn’t have to go through organizational challenges; there is an executive team ready for them. They also have access to a network of mature khateebs, adds Moktadir. A professional staff of 25 members manages the ADAMS Center and an elected Executive Committee provides oversight on the organization. The executive team manages the budgets of all the centers.
A separate entrance and section for the social services offices is in the plans; confidentiality of recipient is extremely important. “When recipients come for aid, everyone observes them and there is no privacy. The new arrangement will be away from public,” shares Moktadir.
The Main Center’s Sunday school has 550 students and is at capacity. The extension means more classrooms and makes space for the executive staff offices.
ADAMS will also be adding to their executive staff. The center is looking for an imam focused on the youth, as well as 5 youth coordinators for all four branches, a female chaplain, a Deputy Executive Director with project management skills. All these positions are budgeted for the year 2016.
Virtually connected classrooms are planned for the Sully and Ashburn locations— Imam Mohammad Magid’s classes will be broadcast to all the branches.
This year 25,000 people prayed 30 Eid prayers at the four permanent branches and seven satellite locations. Currently, ADAMS also has the largest network of girl and boy scouts in the DC Metro—300 Muslim scouts. “We have the demand for 500 more scouts,” says Moktadir, due to a lack of space ADAMS has turn down many troops.
With an estimated cost of $7-7.5 million, the expansion plan is underway on the main campus to match the needs of the rapidly growing community.
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