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Mosque Rises Above Woes

Tribune photo by JAMIE PILARCZYK

Arabic language and Koranic studies are in the works, as are open houses.

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: October 8, 2008

NORTH HYDE PARK - Rising a block behind Kennedy Boulevard off Willow Avenue, silver minarets reach to the sky. But these don't belong to the University of Tampa.

They signal a new mosque, Masjid Omar Al Mukhtar, 1307 North B St.

Although fundraising for the $250,000 project started in the late 1990s, the mosque has hit some bumps in the road, including a lawsuit and the ousting of one of its board's directors, Mahmoud Kaheel.

Members said Kaheel had too much authority and couldn't account for missing funds. Kaheel blamed the situation on a contractor who wasn't providing receipts.

Sami Thalji, an attorney for the members, said the parties have agreed to allow Kaheel to stay providing he abides by the mosque's governing charter.

Salah Garabaj, an advisor for the board of directors, said the mosque is "desperately needed."

"When we started this 10 years ago, I used to hope we'd have enough people to do prayer," he said. "Now we're overflowing."

The 2,400-square-foot mosque stands in marked contrast to the current worship center, an unmarked storefront next to Salem's Gyro and Submarine, 1906 W. Kennedy Blvd., a couple of blocks away.

The small quarters and the need for renovations prompted the move.

Muslim men and women pray separately, and the new mosque has a worship area upstairs that can hold 50 women. A sound system and windows allow female worshippers to follow the sermon below, where the mosque's 130 male members worship in an open room.

Bathrooms have special wash areas for ablutions, a ritual cleansing done before prayer.

Arabic language and Koranic studies are in the works, as are open houses to welcome the community.

With limited parking, the new mosque has an agreement with New Salem Missionary Baptist Church, 405 N. Oregon Ave., to use its parking lot on Fridays, the holiest day of Muslim worship.

Kaheel said the mosque is close to receiving a certificate of occupancy and could open by late October.

"I've been working on this a long time," he said.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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