Mother Mosque of America

Moslem Temple
The mosque in 2016
Location 1335 9th Street N.W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Coordinates 41°59′10.69″N 91°41′2.2″W / 41.9863028°N 91.683944°W / 41.9863028; -91.683944Coordinates: 41°59′10.69″N 91°41′2.2″W / 41.9863028°N 91.683944°W / 41.9863028; -91.683944
Built 1934
NRHP reference # 96000516
Added to NRHP May 15, 1996[1]

The Mother Mosque of America, once known as The Rose of Fraternity Lodge and also known as Moslem Temple, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, is the oldest standing purpose built mosque in the United States. The Al-Sadiq Mosque in Chicago is older by a decade but was converted from an existing building to be used as a mosque. The Mother Mosque of America is also slightly older than the Al-Rashid Mosque in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The oldest purpose built mosque was torn down in the 1970s near Ross, North Dakota. Recently a smaller mosque was built near that site to commemorate its history. [2]

History

The mosque was built by a local community of immigrants and their descendants from what is now Lebanon and Syria.[3] Construction was completed February 15, 1934. The small structure served as a place of worship for Muslims for nearly 40 years. When a larger local mosque, the “Islamic Center of Cedar Rapids”, was built in 1971, the building was sold. Successive owners over the next 20 years allowed it to fall into disrepair.

The mosque seen from the northwest

In 1991 the Islamic Council of Iowa purchased the building, refurbished it and restored its status as a Muslim cultural center. The effort was mainly organized by the local Muslim community led by Imam Taha Tawil and Dr. Thomas B. Irving.

The Mother Mosque stands in a quiet neighborhood, flanked by houses on both sides, with a small marker off of First Avenue pointing the way to this historical site. Due to its small size, the majority of the Muslim population in Eastern Iowa and the Cedar Rapids area worship at other mosques, but the Mother Mosque remains a prominent center for information, prayer and community.

The Mother Mosque is listed on both the Iowa State Historical Register and the National Register of Historic Places as an "essential piece of American religious history, which symbolizes tolerance and acceptance of Islam and Muslims in the United States." It was listed on the National Register in 1996 as Moslem Temple.[1]

Floods in June 2008 filled the mosque's basement, destroying the extensive collection of books and archival records stored therein.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/us/north-dakota-mosque-a-symbol-of-muslims-deep-ties-in-america.html
  3. ↑ "In Iowa, a lasting symbol of American Islam" by Ryan Schuessler. Al Jeezera America. February 13, 2014
  4. ↑ Molly Rossiter (June 17, 2008). "Historic Mother Mosque records likely destroyed". GazetteOnline article. The Gazette (Iowa).

Further reading

  • Dannin, Robert. Black Pilgrimage to Islam. New York: Oxford UP, 2002.
  • Nash, Michael. Islam Among Urban Blacks. Lanham: University Press of America, 2008.
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