Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Shiite Muslims from Iraq have founded their own mosque in West Valley City so that they can worship and teach their children in their language.
Alzahra Islamic Center cannot yet afford a full-time imam, but the rented space in a reception center at 3588 S. 1950 West provides a place to gather, said Ahmed Anad, one of the members.
“It creates a special atmosphere when you worship in your language and culture,” said Anad, who has been in Utah for six years.
Imams from Canada and Michigan are being brought in to lead prayers during the month of Ramadan, which ends Sept. 11.
While many of Alzahra’s 60 members emigrated during the 1990s, others are recent refugees from that war-torn country.
The mosque is the sixth in the Salt Lake Valley. While all the mosques welcome all Muslims — and non-Muslim visitors — four of the six worship in the Sunni tradition.
Shuaib-ud Din, imam of the Utah Islamic Center in Sandy, welcomes the new mosque.
“The more, the merrier,” he said.
After Ramadan, classes will begin for children each Saturday and Sunday.
Volunteers will teach Islam based on the Ahlul Bayt school of thought, Anad said, and the youngsters will learn Arabic and Iraqi culture.
“There should be a place to attach them to their home,” he said.
Iraqi Muslims have been worshipping with other Shiites at Al-Rasool Islamic Center in Taylorsville, but the congregation includes Iranians and Pakistanis, and they do not share the same conversational language nor the same culture. Arabic is the ritual language used by all Muslims and, for the Iraqis, it’s their conversational language as well.
End item/ 129
