RNA - New England’s oldest mosque, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary Saturday with a ceremony in Quincy followed by a banquet at Lombardo’s in Randolph, The Patriot Ledger reported.
As America’s Muslim population grew rapidly, since opening in 1964, so did the size of the Islamic Center.
According to the Patrick Ronan report, the mosque started with seven founding families and has expanded to more than 1,000 member families from all over the South Shore and Greater Boston. The original members hailed from one country – Lebanon – while today’s congregation represents 36 different nationalities.
And what started with a humble $50,000 structure in Quincy Point has since blossomed into two mosques, one in Quincy and one in Sharon. Both house a school and are on the verge of major expansion projects.
Arson fires in 1990 and 2003 caused significant damage to the Quincy mosque, but the biggest challenge came following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The Islamic Center got its start a half-century ago when seven immigrant families living near the Fore River Shipyard joined to build the mosque at 470 South St. The seven founding families were: Abrahams, Allies, Ameens, Derbeses, El-Deebs, Hassans and Omars.
The Islamic Center is trying to raise money for a proposed $1.5 million expansion of the Quincy mosque and a $6 million-plus expansion of the Sharon mosque, projects that would include bigger prayer rooms, more classrooms and other improvements.
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