Source: The Journal News
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After taking part in afternoon prayers, Mohsin Ahmed stood outside the Islamic Center of Rockland's new mosque yesterday as a crowd gathered at the front of the building.
"It's like breathtaking, because we've been talking about a mosque and we finally have one," said Mohsin, a 16-year-old from Nanuet. "So it's amazing."
Moments later, the organization's president, Ezz Hamza, spoke before about 80 people, welcoming them to the official opening of the $2.3 million, 10,000-square-foot building.
Bringing the mosque to that site, at the top of Mountainview Avenue, was an effort nearly 20 years in the making. The Islamic Center first organized in 1980 and has rented spaces in the county ever since, saving up money in hopes of one day having its own home.
The group purchased 15 acres on Mountainview in 1989, but it wasn't able to start building until recently.
The mosque opened its doors to the public Sept. 1, this year's first day of Ramadan, a month of daily fasting marked by introspection and sacrifice. Yesterday, it celebrated its grand opening, bringing out more than 100 people to break the holiday fast in the building's large multipurpose room, feeding everyone dishes of chickpeas, dates, grapes and samosas.