The former PNC Bank buildings on Somerset Avenue in Princess Anne, Md., will now be the place where Somerset County Muslims bow down in sujood. The new masjid is bought— mortgage-free— and is undergoing renovations.
Since 2000, the jamaah met at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) for prayer. They initially wanted construct a masjid from the ground up and bought five acres of land on Route 13. They ran into permit issues due to wetland regulations and decided to purchase a built property.
For the past year, the congregation was using a small building close to the university but were searching for a new home.
Bryant Mitchell is the president of the Islamic Society of Princess Anne. He also serves as the imam. He found the stately building located in the historic section of town, on sale. “The bank was looking to get rid of it,” he said. It had been on sale for 11 years. The Islamic Society of Princess Anne purchased the building without loans. Mitchell said the entire purchase price came from donations and fundraising efforts by members.
In the small town of 4000 people, close to 200 Muslim families live within walking distance from the building, said Mitchell. These include international students. In the 2010 census the town had a total of 652 families.
"Easy access is important. And we also have a good number of UMES students who will need access,” he said.
A lot of students attend the university will be able to use the masjid as it is close to UMES.
The masjid will host daily prayers and educational programs on the site that consists of two commercial -use buildings totaling 19,500 sq foot.
"It is a good, central location for our members," said Bryant Mitchell told local news
"We plan to use the back of the building for educational purposes," Mitchell said. "And that includes educating non-Muslims about the Islamic faith. People tend to look at religion as a club. The many denominations are like sororities and fraternities, but that's not what religion is about."
11732 Someset Avenue, Princess Anne, Maryland
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