The LBIC is waiting on the approval of the Signal Hill City Council for a temporary-occupancy permit for its 2,025-square-foot mosque at 995 E 27th St., the first-ever to be built in Signal Hill, by the end of the week, according to Tarek Mohamed, chairman of the LBIC.
“It was a small dream to found a place of worship for the small Muslim community in the Long Beach and Signal Hill area,” Mohamed said.
A dream potentially turned into reality, but it didn’t always seem that way.
The project was originally approved by the Signal Hill City Council in 2007, but lack of funding for a construction process that still required roughly $200,000 to be completed caused work to cease in 2009, according to a 2013 Signal Tribune article.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”200px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Mosque-3.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”A bookshelf inside the mosque contains Long Beach Islamic Center texts.” captionposition=”left”] [aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Mosque-2.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”The entrance of the new mosque at 995 E. 27th St., complete with its flooring and access to a restroom, has a shoe rack on which visitors must place their footwear upon entering the structure.” captionposition=”left”] [aesop_image imgwidth=”200px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Mosque-4.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”An inside look at a washroom-type setup in the mosque” captionposition=”left”] “The project was very costly because we didn’t have all the funds at one time,” Mohamed said.
However, funding came in through donors from the Muslim community during the two-and-a- half-year period, and a new permit was established, allowing work to continue.
“So, we worked to clean up the land, grate, lay the foundation and do some of the framing work,” Mohamed said.
The LBIC managed to finish structural work on the mosque before its deadline, which was on Monday, Aug. 10. Additions to the structure, such as a gate to secure the facility, can be implemented later on, according to Mohamed.
The nonprofit organization hopes to use the mosque as a means to spread its purpose, which is to communicate the principles of Islam and to build bridges with other religions.
Mohamed said that upon approval of the city council, and additional work on the mosque, a grand opening for the structure is being planned within the next month.
