The Muslims in Clinton, MD have outgrown their weekly gathering space and are excited to announce the purchase of a property to build a masjid in this historical town near the southern border of Prince George's’ County. This masjid will be the first outside the beltway, aside from PGMA and will function under the Islamic Circle of North America banner.
For the last 5 years the Colony South Hotel served as the place to gather for Jummah. Around 40 families regularly attend, and worshippers also come from the Andrew Air Force base and Oxon Hill. Prior to that they met at the Lutheran Church.
Mohiuddin Mansur has worked in Clinton for the past 17 years. His family owns the Chicken Hut that serves zabihah halal fried chicken and says that the community is in the early planning stages. The 2.2 acre land on Piscataway Road is zoned for religious purposes and is next to a church. The community has had a close relationship with ICNA and instead of reinventing the wheel they plan to partner with ICNA and run the masjid like the rest of the ICNA masajid are run. Currently, ICNA sends an Imam to the region to lead salah. Community leaders decided that legal, architectural and fundraising issues would be tough to tackle alone so decided to work under the ICNA umbrella. “We [thought] about larger picture,” said Mansur The community has raised $90,000 but will need an additional $145,000 to pay back the no interest bearing loan within 2.5 years, with a yearly payment of $60,000. Eighty percent of the population of the town of Clinton is African American. The masjid is a diverse mix of various immigrants and African Americans and everyone is involved in the process, says Mansur.
An additional amount will be needed to build the Islamic Center. An old house on the property will have to be demolished.“We are planning a lot of parking space,” says Mohiuddin. The main organizing committee meets every Monday with representatives of the community in Dr Essam Tellawi’s. office. Dr Tellawi, an internist and gastroenterologist with a practice in Clinton, is a community leader and a frequent khatib at area masajid. Some in the community want a large masjid to accommodate over a thousand worshippers, but Mohiuddin is cautious. They will initially build a modest masjid to accommodate 350 worshippers. “We can always build an addition,” he says.
The zoning is pre-approved for religious purposes. The plan will be submitted in the coming months. “[Hopefully] the plan gets approved by [the] county then we will have Eid there under the open sky,” says Mansur.
Interested in donating or learning more about the project please call Dr Tellawi at 703 822 3189
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