O.C. Mosque Opening Delayed

A new Orange County mosque, expected to draw one of the largest Muslim congregations in the nation, won’t open Friday as planned because of construction delays blamed on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Despite wet paint, bare floors and windowless frames, officials of the $2-million Masjid Al-Raham, at 9752 13th St., Garden Grove, said Tuesday that they will continue with Friday and Saturday opening ceremonies, which are expected to draw more than 2,500 Muslims, interfaith leaders and community members.

Invitations were already mailed, so mosque leaders decided to go ahead with tours of the building, an interfaith program, prayers and speeches.

“And we’ll invite everybody back when the mosque is finished,� said Haitham A. Bundakji, a leader of the Islamic Society of Orange County, builders of the mosque. That should be in about a month, he said.

The terrorist attacks caused county Muslim leaders to shift priorities from the mosque and focus instead on security concerns and public outreach.

“We’ve been preoccupied with seminars, town hall meetings and press conferences,� said Bundakji. Building decisions and fund-raising efforts were pushed aside, he said.

Mosque officials will have to “pull a rabbit out of the hat� to be permit-ready for this weekend’s events, said a city inspector who visited the site Tuesday. But Bundakji said crews will work around the clock to get the building ready.

The two-story building’s traditional architecture includes a central dome, two minarets, or towers from which worshipers are called to prayer, dozens of arches and a balcony where women will worship separately from the men. The mosque itself--painted sandstone on the exterior and brilliant white inside--faces northeast to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Another deadline Muslim officials face is the month of Ramadan, which begins Nov. 16. It commemorates the revelation of the Koran, Islam’s holy book, to the prophet Muhammad.

During the observance, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, say daily prayers and give generously to charity. They believe they will get back 70 times more than they give during Ramadan, making the holiday a key fund-raising time.

The completion of the 17,000-square-foot mosque will mark the end of the initial, $2-million phase of the Islamic Society’s $9-million expansion. Muslim leaders still need to raise about $7 million for the remainder of the project, which includes a school. Islam prohibits loans, so the project is being constructed on a pay-as-you-go basis.

“We’re striving to be ready for Ramadan,� Bundakji said. “We’re very interested in adding a few finishing touches to the mosque and then beginning to raise money for our second phase.�

Designed to be a community center for county Muslims, the complex’s third phase will include a meeting hall, two libraries, an indoor basketball court, offices, lecture halls, courtyard, dining area and kitchen and a new wing for the Orange Crescent School.

The mosque will replace a worship hall nearby, where an estimated 2,000 Muslims now attend Friday prayer services.

“I visit many temples, synagogues and churches, and I see beautiful buildings,� Bundakji said. “Our new building will be something to be proud of.�

Other county Muslims agree.

“This building basically confirms that Islam is an intricate part of the American fabric,� said Ra’id Faraj, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “And the Muslim community is here to stay. This is home for them.�