A large crowd gathered outside the lobby of the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) on the afternoon of Sunday October 28, 2018 to ring in the much-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony, marking the commencement of phase 3 construction.
The parking lot directly in front of the center on Johnnycake Road was jam packed, and the overflow area across the street was put to use, as many came out to support ISB in its long journey. Those gathered in the crowd included elected officials, members of the police force and fire department, founding members of ISB, as well as former and present ISB council members, and members of the community who utilize ISB’s numerous programs and services. Many of those gathered were part of ISB’s conception in 1969 and had witnessed the construction of the first structure, Masjid Al-Rahmah from 1982-83.
Having just received the permit from the county to begin phase 3 construction a couple weeks prior, the groundbreaking ceremony was a chance for many to partake in the celebration for the future of ISB, as well as a chance to honor those who made the masjid a reality. Among those recognized for their efforts were the architects and engineers working on the project, founding members who helped establish ISB from its very inception, and members of Masjid Al-Saffat and Masjid Al-Haqq for having a hand in providing services to Muslims in Baltimore early on and helping to establish ISB.
The decision to implement phase 3 began when county officials told ISB that they had too many trailers on campus. The county issued a mandate requiring ISB to remove these trailers (housing 10-11 temporary classrooms) and reforest the area while meeting county codes. Initially, ISB was concerned about what to do with the students in those trailers, as the Al-Rahmah K-12 full-time school and the Al-Rahmah Sunday school each get approximately 300 or more students per enrollment period. More recently, however, ISB got approved for an extension that would allow the trailers to remain on site for the remainder of the school year. The trailers must be removed when the construction is completed, projected to be August 2019.
Phase 3 of the expansion project adds a library and expands the facility to accommodate school classrooms for both Al-Rahmah School and Al-Rahmah Sunday School. In addition, the expansion will increase space for the musallah during Jumah Salah and Eid, and move the Hifz (Quran memorization) program within close proximity, as it’s currently in another building. With the addition of the new classroom space, ISB also hopes to create a community-learning center that will offer more services to the community at large, not just the Muslim community.
The groundbreaking ceremony began with an introduction from Ed Tori, President of ISB. This was followed by a Quran recitation by ISB resident scholar Sheikh Ismet Akcin who read verses stressing the importance of building houses of worship and educating the community and humanity.
One of the speakers following the recitation was Dr. Maqbool Patel, a founding member of ISB and former ISB president. Patel spoke to the audience about being with ISB since its very first groundbreaking in 1982, when he was just 35 years old. He was among several others who used to meet up at John Hopkins University for weekly meetings and Friday prayers beginning in 1969, when the idea to establish ISB was first discussed.
Patel talked about how in 1983 the masjid they built at ISB had a capacity of 180 and how they managed to squeeze in 300 people on Fridays. Today, an estimated 2,000-3,000 people attend the two Jummah prayer services there. He recalled that Al-Rahmah School opened in the late 1980’s with only around 60 elementary age students. It later expanded to a full-time nursery, elementary, middle, and high school. Today both Al-Rahmah School and Al-Rahmah Sunday School each have an enrollment of approximately 300 or more every registration period. The Quran Academy, which opened in 1999-2000 with the help and support of community members, has well over a hundred male and female hifz graduates today.
A number of the speakers present at the groundbreaking acknowledged the contributions of ISB to education and fostering a place of learning. Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, representing Maryland’s 44th Legislative District in Baltimore County spoke briefly about how proud she was of ISB’s huge undertaking and everything they have accomplished over the years. She quoted Malcolm X and said “education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
John Olszewski, a native of Baltimore county who is the County Executive-Elect, also spoke about the importance of education. “As a former teacher, given the times we are in, education is so important to help fight back the ignorance of this world and help lift up all of our communities,” Olszewski told the gathering.
As the speakers concluded their remarks, Ed Tori led everyone to the groundbreaking site, just feet away from where the attendees were gathered. He then invited the sisters, brothers, youth, and elders to partake in digging shovels into the ground and then enjoying sweets in the lobby.
Many who took part in the event were longtime community members. Rehan Alavi, an ISB community member since 1986, says he was part of the first phase when the school and gymnasium were built, and now has children of his own. Alavi says he “is excited to be a part of the community center’s growth, which will inshallah serve [my] kids, and their kids in the future generation.”
Others, like Fatima Hafizi, were new members at ISB who came out to show their support. Hafizi left her family in Canada to pursue her residency in Baltimore. She says ISB has provided her with a great opportunity to meet other Muslims in the community, in addition to being a place to pray and attend programs. “Not having any family around it’s a great asset for me to spend good quality time with others when I’m free from work,” said Hafizi.
Tori, when asked about his feelings regarding the commencement of phase 3, said he is both excited and nervous to finally begin work on the expansion project.
He is nervous about the funding required to keep the project going, a price tag in the neighborhood of $2 million, and knows that they still have a long road ahead in terms of raising funds, but he also has faith in the overwhelming generosity of the Muslim community that helped ISB get as far as it has. He says ISB had the largest fundraiser in ISB history last Ramadan. Due to rising material costs and the scope of the project, more funds will be needed to complete the project. He hopes the project completion will coincide with the 50th anniversary of ISB, to be held in late summer 2019.
Another concern is the safety of those onsite during the expansion, mainly the children who attend school at ISB. Tori says that the safety of the children is their main priority. Because the trailers will remain until construction is completed, classes will continue as planned, with contingency plans in effect. A website will be developed for the community to express any concerns, and a construction project manager will also be on site at all times as a point of contact for the administration. Tori and the ISB Council are planning for the additional challenge of hosting Ramadan and the two eids while construction is underway next year.
Among the changes that Tori is excited about, however, is the addition of a community-learning center. Al-Rahmah School, Al-Rahmah Sunday School, and Al-Rahmah Quran Academy currently provide services during the daytime on weekdays and Sundays only. The new learning center, he says, will also provide night classes in SAT Prep, coding, resume help, and professional development. He credits this to the Muslim community’s abundance of talent in so many fields.
Once the project is complete, Tori expects the center to be a high traffic area, and looks forward to what the future holds for ISB and those it serves. Tori also hopes to extend their clinic efforts in the near future and offer health classes, as the Muslim community is full of qualified physicians, nurse practitioners, and physical therapists. He predicts that as Muslim institutions like ISB turn 50 years and older, the next logical step will be “more Muslim hospitals and statewide shura (consultation) where Muslims are all working together.”
If you would like to contribute to the expansion project or any other programs at ISB, please visit: ISB.org/donate.
Comments powered by CComment