2010 Launching the New Building of the Islamic Center of Rolla Missouri
Ground Breaking Ceremony April 16th 2010
Islamic Center of Rolla Missouri (ICRM) P. O. Box 487 Rolla, MO 65402 USA www.RollaMasjid.com
A message from the Community Dear Muslim Brother or Sister Assalam alaikum wa rahmatullah
First, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your previous support, as you have already made an important contribution to the future of the Muslim community of Missouri. Because of your previous support, we want to update you and assure you that the Muslim Community of Rolla is steadfast on bringing this project to a successful conclusion, inshallah. We are happy to report that the first development phase of the new Islamic Center of Rolla Missouri has been successfully completed. This phase included the purchasing of the land, demolishing three old houses on the purchased lots, completion of the building design and architectural plans. These plans have been submitted to the City of Rolla for review and for obtaining a building permit. Alhamulilah, the review process went very well and a permission from the City to start construction was secured on June 14th of 2010. With this permission, the construction activities were launched on July 16, 2010 with excavating the construction site and setting the building foundations. The target date of completing this phase inshallah is October of 2010. The completed building design incorporates various facilities that will provide the Muslim community of Rolla and the surrounding areas with facilities to pray, gather, and communicate. The new building inshallah will be an institution that helps the promotion of peace, justice, compassion, fairness, tolerance, and helping people. It will also provide an environment to nurture, inspire, and educate the children of the Muslim community of Rolla and those who reside in the surrounding regions. Moreover, this new center is designed to engage and inspire the international young Muslim students who come to Rolla to study Science, Engineering, and Technology. This mission only touches on a few of the remarkable ways in which the new building will affect the lives of Muslims who come to this community from countries throughout the world. We are committed to supporting these young Muslim students to reach their dreams and help them and their children. Achieving these milestone of completing the first phase and launching the second phase is important, but many more steps must be realized before completing this project. We certainly appreciate your continued support. Your generosity will enable our community, inshallah, to bring the development of this important project to a successful conclusion. This publication will provide you with glimpses on our community and an update on the project. We hope you will find articles included herein insightful and enjoyable. Sincerely, The Muslim Community of Rolla
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A Glance at the Muslim Community of Rolla The Muslim community of Rolla is led by many professionals who are making significant contributions to the community of Rolla, to the State of Missouri, and to the Country, particularly in the higher education and medical fields. For instance, several medical doctors are currently working for the Phelps County Regional Hospital and several professors are involved in teaching, conducting research, and serving the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Moreover, the community enjoys the hosting of more than 250 talented, energetic, and intelligent students. As shown in the adjacent figure, these students are from more than 16 countries. The new Islamic Center of Rolla Missouri will serve their needs and provide them with an environment that will help complement their technical education. The Muslim community of Rolla is committed to supporting these young Muslim students to reach their dreams and help nurture, inspire, and educate them and their children.
Country Palestine
# of Students 1
Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Libya Malaysia Nigeria Pakistan Saudi Arabia Sudan United Arab Emirates Turkey
3 3 4 11 50 20 4 5 96 6 1 16
Uzbekistan
1
Yemen USA
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Community Mission The mission of the Muslim Community of Rolla is to –
Provide the Muslim community of Rolla and the surrounding regions with facilities to pray, gather, communicate, and to promote the Islamic principles of peace, justice, compassion, fairness, and tolerance.
Nurture, inspire, and educate the children of the Muslim community of Rolla and those who reside in the surrounding regions.
Engage and inspire the masses of international young Muslim students who come to Rolla studying Science, Engineering, and Technology.
Provide brothers and sisters in the community and in the surrounding regions with educational opportunities for skill development.
Provide an environment for intellectual exchange among the community members, students, and visitors by holding seminars, lectures, and panel discussions on various issues of importance to the community and to the Umma.
Cooperate with civic organizations to provide help to those in need without regard to geographical location, race and gender in accordance with Islamic teachings.
Faisal Aldhalmawi graduating with BS in Petroleum Engineering
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Meet Members of our community
Hello: my name is fatih, I am from Turkey. Since the first day I came to Rolla to study Environmental Engineering I was very pleased to find out about the Islamic center of Rolla Missouri. The center hosts enough activities and events to keep me in touch with other Muslim friends at Rolla. Since I heard about the plan to construct and build a new Masjid I decided to join the Fund raising committee to give myself a chance to get involved and earn blessing and reward from Allah (SWT). The current building of the Masjid is very old, and lacks the appropriate facilities to hosts the events, Inshallah this problem will go away after we finish the new building. It will be great to leave a mark after leaving Rolla going back home. Fatih Hosoglu Graduate Student Department of Civil Engineering
As a part of the Muslim Student Association, this gives me a chance to serve Allah and his religion, to be a better Muslim myself, and serve the Muslim community on campus. This new Islamic Center will play a key role on preserving and nurturing the principles of our religion, it will help young Muslims know the beauty of Islam. We are truly grateful for the supportive and heartfelt donations and prayers which we have received since launching this project,. We ask our brothers and sisters to complete supporting this project until it will be illuminating candle . Arej A Muhammed Graduate Student Department of Computer Science.
Hello My name is Badier, I am a student and the President of the International Student Organization at MS&T. As a Muslim Student in the United States, I feel very proud to be a member of the Muslim Community of Rolla Missouri. Even though it is a small community comparing to others, the passion and love for education is what makes this community special. Almost all the members are students just like me, we all trying to enjoy our student live while keeping Islam the path for our success. Building the new Islamic center will definitely make a change in this community. It will be the glue to hold this community together. As everyone else in this community I look forward to pray and attend lectures in the new building. I want to thank you all for your help and support for building the New Islamic Community Center. Bader Alotaibi Undergraduate student Department of Computer Science.
Rolla is a small university town of 18,000 people. We have a very vibrant and growing Muslim community of about 100 families, mostly associated with Missouri University of Science and Technology, one of the top small engineering universities in the United States. Rolla's Muslim community meets and prays in a building that is far too old and small. Al-hamdu l'illah, Allah (SWT) has blessed us and we have begun construction of a new, larger Masjid, in a very convenient location on the edge of campus. May Allah (SWT) bless and reward everyone who has helped to make this a reality. There is still much work to be done; but, inshaAllah, our new Masjid and Community Center will soon be completed. Mr. Yusha Sager Former MS&T Faculty
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The New Building: Developing a Plan and Starting Construction The new constructed facility will be a one-story building built on a walk-out basement, 9' ceilings throughout . Main features include an approximately 10,000 square feet of space with pray area for men, pray area for women, one bedroom apartment, Grocery store, a conference room, an office, a library including a computer room, dining area, kitchen, bathrooms with wodo areas, utility room, storage room. The building design and construction are driven by cost effectiveness, low maintenance, effective use of space, and versatility. The total area of 10,000 square feet is carefully allocated to various functions. Planning for developing the new Islamic Center of Rolla has been in the works for many years. The chronology and associated pictures listed on the subsequent page show the events that were undertaken to take the project to the current stage. Alhumdulilah, Brothers and Sisters from many countries have collaborated on this project and made considerable progress. They succeeded to purchase the land, develop building design, work with the city to secure a building permit, and start the construction process. With their dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm, the construction of the building is now underway. The various project activities are currently being managed and executed by a carefully organized structure which consists of various committees and groups. As depicted in the project management chart, the fundraising committee, the planning and construction committee, the Muslim Student Association, the Board, and the teams within these committees and groups are all collaborating on planning and undertaking various project tasks. For instance, The Planning and Construction Committee has been working diligently on the final preparations of the construction site. An old house sitting on the construction site was demolished during the month of March. All demolished materials have been taken away and final site grading was completed on March 15th, 2010. More details on each construction phase are provided herein.
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Chronology: 2007-2010 May 2007
Planning and Construction Committee was formed
July 2007
Committee develops preliminary building program
August 2007
An architect was hired
October 2007
Preliminary plan was completed
March 2008
A second architect was hired
June 2008
Third property was purchased.
July 2008
demolition of two buildings on construction site was completed
Demolishing old properties on construction site
November 2009 Preliminary floor plans and lot survey were completed December 2009 Interviews with GCs and selection of a GC was completed January 2010
A contract to develop detailed engineering drawing was signed
February, 2010
Inspection of the old property has been completed. Bids to demolish the old house have been reviewed. Visits to several mosques were conducted
March , 2010
Demolition of third building on construction site was completed
April, 2010
Ground Breaking Ceremony took place
May, 2010
Detailed engineering drawings completed & submitted to the City of Rolla
June, 2010
Building permit issued by the City of Rolla
July 2010
Construction site excavation started
August 2010
Building foundation completed
For details on construction phases and recent activities, videos & pictures please refer to www.rollamasjid.com
Excavation of Construction site
Construction Site Ready to start building
Foundation under construction
Foundation completed
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Fund raising activities Continue
Fund raising dinner, Columbia MO
During recent months, the Planning and Construction Committee and the Fund Raising Committee continued their efforts to reach out and introduce the project to Muslim communities in Missouri and other states. For instance, several members of the two committees visited with Muslims in Springfield and Joplin in Missouri. Another team from community visited Atlanta, Georgia. Alhumdililah, these visits were very rewarding and resulted in positive outcomes. The support and encouragement that the members received during these visits was remarkable and truly appreciated by the Muslim Community of Rolla. May Allah rearward our Muslim brothers and sisters everywhere for their deeds.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Committee members discuss engineering drawing with brother in Joplin, MO
The contractor & the architect visiting STL Masjid
Groundbreaking Ceremony
The ground breaking ceremony took place on the property for the new Masjid on the 16 th of April 2010. The ceremony was attended by many members of the community and the Mayor of the city of Rolla, Mr. William Jinks in addition to staff from the MS&T campus including Dr. Debra Robinson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Mr. James Murphy, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student affairs, Dr. Jeanne Hoffer, the Director of the office of International Affairs, Ms. Roberta Morgan, Assistant Director of International Affairs , Ms. Jerri Arnold-Cook and Ms. Angola Perkins from the Culture Program. The ceremony was started by a reading from the Holly Quran then continued with words from the chair of the Project Planning & Constructing Committee Dr. Fathi Finaish & followed by short speeches by the General contractor, Mr. Jim Larson and a word by Mr. James Murphy. 6
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Facilities in the New Islamic Center These charts depict schematics for the men and women prayer areas, women lounge, conference room, class rooms, library, play rooms for kids of the new Islamic Center of Rolla Missouri. As seen, the men and women areas are divided into 140 and 70 spots respectively. Each spot is approximately 8 ft2 and sufficient for one person to pray. We estimate the construction cost per spot is $1000. If you wish to donate funds to cover the cost for a spot or more, please identify the spot numbers (in the Men and/or Women areas) you want to donate funds for and use the contact information provided on the chart to pledge your donation. We estimated the cost of the each classroom to be $10,000, $20,000 for the kid’s playroom and $15,000 for the library. If you wish to sponsor one of these facilities, please use the contact information provided to pledge your donation.
Playroom & Playground $20,000
Your support is greatly appreciated. Jazakum Allah Khairan Library & office $15,000
Class room #1 $10,000
Class room #2 $10,000
Class room #3 $10,000
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Muslim Student Association Missouri University of Science & Technology
Our Mission MSA is an organization founded on the basic tenets of Islam. Our goal is to deliver the message of Islam through the daily interactions of its members with nonmembers while creating a lifelong bond amongst them. MSA also seeks to uphold the values of tolerance, compassion, and sincerity in hopes of raising awareness and building understanding among different campus communities. Events such as Fast-athon and Islam Awareness Week have formed the core of a strong tradition of outreach that we wish to build upon and continue in the years to come.
Members & Activities Our members come from different parts of the world. They all share the same principles and goals, which is to succeed in life and learn how to become a better Muslim. All our members participate in varies activities such as, fast-a-tone and Ramadan daily iftar, Eid celebration, games and field trips. In addition to that, our embers play a big roll in MS&T campus; they sponsor activities such as Peace day, earth day, Census information day. They also provide the necessary help to the international office to help incoming Muslim students get in touch with other friends and get the help necessary to make their lives a little easier.
Visit us online at http://msa.mst.edu
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Nurturing and inspiring the next generation Quran and Arabic school for kids are taking place inside the current praying area at the current Masjid. Our facility does not allow us to provide a suitable location for our kids to learn. However, the new Islamic center will include three classrooms to help the kids learn better and more efficiently & will also include a play room and playground for kids to enjoy their time.
Arabic teaching session
Quran teaching sessions are being held on regular bases for kids in the community
"Whoever builds a Mosque for the sake of Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise." (Bukhaaree & Muslim) Brothers & sisters Al Salam Alikom. It is a great pleasure to have a chance to say a word in this first issue of the ICRM Newsletter. I want to thank everyone who is helping us build this New Community Center. As you can see from the pictures, the new Muslim generation is desperate for a place to learn the Quran and Arabic language. Having classrooms and Malek Elgmati playground for those kids will be blessing from Allah (SWT). This new facility will affect many of our ICRM Muslim Kids for generations to come. We ask you to pray for us & pray that Allah will grant us the power & effort to finish this new building. Please pray that this building will be a shining light of the Muslim Umma in this great country. Jazakum Allah Khayran.
Nurturing and inspiring the children in the community is a key function of the new Islamic Center
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Calendar of Important Events:
Event
Hijri Date
Gregorian Date
Ramadan Begins…..……
Ramadan 1st ……………………....
08/11/2010
Lailat-ul – Qadr…….…....
Eve. After Ramadan 26th ……...…
09/05/2010
Eid-al-Fitr…………...…..
Shawwal 1st …………………….…
09/10/2010
Yaum –arafah..…………
Hajj at Makkah / vicinity………...
11/15/2010
Eid – al- Adha………….
10th of Dhul – Hijjah…………...…
11/16/2010
Al – Hijra……………..…
1st of Muharram………………..…
12/07/2010
Ashurah……………..….
10th of Muharram…………………
12/16/2010
Mawlid – al – Nabi..……
12th of Rabi – al – Awwal………..
02/15/2011
Israa’ / Me’raj………….
Eve. After 26th of Rajab………….
06/28/2011
Lailatul – Bara’at……...
Eve. After 14th of Sha’ban……….
07/15/2011
Ramadan Begins……….
1st of Ramadan……………………
08/01/2011
Lailatul – Qadr……...….
Eve. After Ramadan 26th ………..
08/26/2011
Eid-al-Fitr………………
Shawwal 1st ………………………
08/30/2011
Yaum – al- arafah..…….
Hajj at Makkah / vicinity………..
11/05/2011
Eid – al- Adha………..…
10th of Dhul – Hijjah……………..
11/06/2011
This newsletter is sponsored in part by the Muslim Student Association & Chartwells dining services at Missouri S&T. http://www.dineoncampus.com/mst http://www.msa.mst.edu
Note 1: Fajr means both Fajr Athan (Azan) and Imsak (starting fast) and Maghrib means both Maghrib Athan (Azan) and Iftar (breaking fast). Note 2: Ramadan starting date is according to Makkah.
Note: Visit us online at www.Rollamasjid.com for detailed schedule of our iftar locations. Copyright Š 2010 IslamicFinder.org. All rights reserved