Ramadan is the most sacred time for Muslims, marking the period when the Quran, the holy book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
The Islamic Council of America’s Madina Masjid, located at 401 East 11th Street has been a place where Ramadan has been observed since 1976. It is home to many West African immigrants.
The mosque, a religious organization, and cultural non-profit tax-exempt organization, is currently under a $6.5 million renovation, is in immediate need of many repairs. Construction scaffolding surrounds the building. They have been cited for multiple building violations. Some of these violations include low-pressure boilers and the contractor’s failure to perform daily inspections.
“There are many repairs needed in the mosque,” said Aslam Sikder, Assistant Secretary for the mosque.
“The repairs are coming up to $7 million. Right now, many things need to be repaired, the doors, the windows, the stairs, and each floor needs to be repaired with floor waxing” continued Sikder.
Some of these repairs are extremely costly. One window costs $7,000, one door is $8,000 and the price of all repairs to the bathroom is $10,000. The projected plan is the bathroom is to install 13 new toilets in the mosque. The mosque is also in dire need of an elevator to travel throughout the five-floor building for the elderly and disabled.
Donations
The mosque has now reached out to the community for donations payable through checks, Paypal, Zelle, and Venmo.
On March 30 the mosque held its 9 am morning Ramadan prayer for Eid Mubarak, marking the end of Ramadan. While attending Sunday service, shoes are required to be taken off.
During a visit last month, I observed many West African immigrants, there to attend daily prayer.
The NYC Department of Buildings has post-work permits and after-work variances permits to start work before 7 am and after 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays for site clean-up. Con Ed has officially posted a Gas Service Termination notice for the mosque
A mosque member took me on a tour of the basement and the first floor. I noticed a number of notices posted in front of the mosque. .
In the basement, where the bathroom is located, water is shut off in the faculty. The basement has five non-active toilet stalls and unfinished work for sinks that need plumbing repairs and restoration of the walls and floors in the mosque.
Next, going up on the first floor through the stairs, one sees exposed wires and missing tiles.
In one room, there was a need for a clear-out of old furniture and lighting fixtures. The floors are covered with dust and debris, and no seemed no way to open the windows throughout the mosque. The mosque has been in this state for more than a year.
The projected plan is to continue to stay open for daily prayer and continue to serve the Muslim and West African communities. The mosque is hopeful of community outreach for donations and assistance from The NYC Department of Buildings. “We had a fundraiser six months ago, but not a lot of people showed up”, said Nasir Uddin, a member of the mosque. “We plan to continue to stay open and pray.”
Medina Masjid maintains a website at https://nycmadinamasjid.org/ where one can donate funds to help refurbish the building.
