Islamic Society of Germantown Breaks Ground on New Masjid

Soon, Muslim families in Germantown will no longer have to make the drive to Gaithersburg or Frederick in order to practice their faith.

State and county officials ceremonially cracked the soil of a new Masjid in Germantown on Wednesday. The religious center was more than a decade in the making.

The new building, at 19825 Blunt Road, will be just under 10,000 square feet and will consist of three levels, including a separate women's and men's prayer hall, a commercial kitchen, and classrooms, said Hwaida Hassanein, a spokesperson for the Islamic Society of Germantown.

The estimated completion date is mid to late 2014, Hassanein said.

Maryland Sen. Nancy King, and Del. Shane Robinson and Del. Kirill Reznik—whose districts include Germantown—attended the ceremony at the future Masjid site. Representatives from U.S. Rep. John Delaney’s office presented an honorary certificate to Imam Ammar Najjar.

“This is a great opportunity to show that Montgomery County embraces its diverse community, and that's what this is about,” said Montgomery County Council Vice President Craig Rice, whose district includes Germantown.

At least 400 Muslim families would be served by the new Masjid, according to the Islamic Society of Germantown’s estimates. The nearest Masjid—the Islamic Center of Maryland—was at least a 24-minute drive from the heart of Germantown.

The community raised more than $700,000 toward the construction efforts, according to Yehia Hassanein, who has helped make the dream of having a Masjid in Germantown a reality.

“It is the attitude of this Masjid to show how open we are to all of the different faiths,” Yehia Hassanein said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are all God's creatures and we are all of different backgrounds. If it is not the purpose of a Masjid to unite all of us together, then there is no other purpose for it.”

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said the idea to build the Masjid arose in 1998. The county sold the plot of abandoned road behind Fox Chapel Shopping Center for this purpose.

>>> See Timeline: Building a Mosque in Germantown

The Rev. Mansfield Kaseman, the county’s Interfaith Community Liaison, helped lead the Islamic Society of Germantown through the complex permitting process. Kaseman and leaders from other faith communities were at the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, which Leggett said was worth noting.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder," Leggett said. "This is good not only for this district, but for the entire community because it shows that people are tolerant, that we're accepting and we are diverse. That we believe in religious tolerance and that we are here to stand with you."