The Mother Mosque of America, once known as The Rose of Fraternity Lodge, in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, is the oldest standing purpose-built mosque in the United States, having been completed in 1934. The
Al-Sadiq Mosque
The Al Sadiq Mosque (or Wabash Mosque) was commissioned in 1922 in the Bronzeville neighborhood in city of Chicago. The Al-Sadiq Mosque is one of America's earliest built mosques and the oldest standing mosque in the country today. This mosque ...
in Chicago and the
Powers Street Mosque
The Powers Street Mosque in Brooklyn, New York City is one of the oldest mosques in the United States. It was founded by a small group of Lipka Tatars, originating from the Białystok region of Poland. This was the first Muslim organization in Ne ...
are older by a decade but were converted from existing buildings to be used as a Muslim house of worship.
An older purpose-built mosque is the
Highland Park Mosque
The Highland Park Mosque was one of the first mosques built in the United States, located in Highland Park, Michigan, Highland Park, Michigan. It opened in 1921 but closed a few years later.
Background
Mohammed Karoub immigrated to the United St ...
, built in 1921 to serve immigrant workers in the Detroit Metro Area, which was sold in 1926. Another older purpose-built mosque was a mosque near
Ross, North Dakota
Ross is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 95 at the 2020 census.
History
Ross was founded in 1902. It was the site of the first structure built in the United States specifically intended to serve as a m ...
, which fell into ruin; a smaller mosque was built near that site to commemorate its history in 2005.
History
The mosque was built by a local community of immigrants and their descendants from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, in what is now
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
and
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. Construction was completed on February 15, 1934. The small structure served as a place of worship for
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s 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.
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 the 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
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
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.
Floods in June 2008 filled the mosque's basement with 10 feet of water, resulting in the loss of the extensive collection of books, archival records, and artifacts stored there.
See also
*
List of mosques in the Americas
*
Lists of mosques
*
List of mosques in the United States
*
Islam in the United States
References
Further reading
*Dannin, Robert. ''Black Pilgrimage to Islam''.
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
: Oxford UP, 2002.
*Nash, Michael. ''Islam Among Urban Blacks''.
Lanham: University Press of America, 2008.
External links
*
KCCI News, DesMoinesIslamic Center of Cedar Rapids
{{Mosques in the United States, state=collapsed
Lebanese-American culture in Iowa
Syrian-American culture in Iowa
Mosques in Iowa
Buildings and structures in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
National Register of Historic Places in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
Mosques completed in 1934
1934 establishments in Iowa