Plans Close For SB's First Islamic Mosque

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Melinda Burns
June 21, 2007

Afaf Turjoman wasn’t sure what to say when her youngest daughter asked whether a mosque would ever be built -- when they’d stop having to go to a public community center for weekly prayers.

“I used to tell her, ‘Third grade, when you go to third grade, we’ll have a mosque,’” said Turjoman, a Muslim who has lived in Goleta for 30 years. “Now she’s going into fourth grade, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

The wait may soon be over for the area’s estimated 2,000 Muslims.

Plans for Santa Barbara County’s first mosque are now in the final design phase. A group of trustees for the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara will present plans to Goleta city officials and begin the public hearing phase in coming months.

The land for the mosque -- the central place of worship and community life for local Muslims -- was purchased six years ago at the corner of Los Carneros Road and Calle Real. Getting the building up has proven to be more difficult, those involved say.

Plans for the two-story worship center were stalled because of Goleta’s incorporation as a city; it has taken time for Goleta to complete citywide traffic studies and other environmental studies to approve such buildings.

It’s also taken time to raise money for the structure because Muslims are prohibited from paying interest on loans as a tenet of their faith, said Mukhtar Khan, a trustee at the Islamic Society. Most of the estimated $2 million it will cost to construct the mosque has to be raised up front or leaders have to find a donor willing to give them an interest-free loan.

This belief comes from Muslim law, known as Shariah law, developed from the teaching of Mohammad, who is viewed as the faith’s greatest prophet. The prohibition against interest is intended to keep Muslims out of the slavery of debt, followers say.

“In a Western society, it is difficult,” said Mohammed Zaman, president of the board for the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara.

American culture is in many ways built on the assumption of debt, so some Muslims do take out loans to pay for cars, homes and college tuition. There are also special financial institutions set up specifically to give loans to Muslims in a way that does not violate their beliefs.

But because the local group is building a mosque, considered a gateway to God, they want to stick as closely to religious law as possible, Zaman said. They plan to launch a formal fundraising campaign when the public hearing phase begins.

“I have been doing this for many years, and I believe that people will donate when the time comes,” said Zaman, a civil engineer. “I’ve never seen a good project stopped because of a lack of funding.”

The longer they wait, however, the more expensive the building becomes, those involved say. Back when plans were first proposed 2001, they expected the building to cost about $1 million. The price tag is skyrocketing due to inflation and increased building costs -- and they haven’t yet presented plans to city officials or heard from community members.

Most people have been supportive, Khan said. The property, about three-quarters of an acre, is surrounded by a museum to the north, open space to the west, a California Highway Patrol substation to the south and a ranch to the east.

The building is to be positioned to face northeast -- the direction toward Mecca. When Muslims recite their prayers five times a day, they face toward the Kaaba, a holy structure in Saudi Arabia they believe was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

Without a central mosque, local Muslims pray at home, work or in groups. There is also a small mosque in northern Goleta near the Camino Real shopping center.

The Friday prayers, which draw the largest weekly crowd, are held in the main room of the Goleta Valley Community Center. Anywhere from 20 to 75 Muslims have gathered there for the past eight years while plans for a mosque get underway.

It is difficult to estimate how many Muslims live and worship in Santa Barbara County. The population is fluid because many are students at UCSB, studying here for a few years until they move or return to their native countries.

Leaders at the Islamic Society wanted to build the mosque in Goleta near the freeway for that very reason -- to make it as easy as possible to find for out-of-towners.

“Anyone can get off the freeway and see right where we are,” said Zaman, who moved to Santa Barbara 18 years ago.

There are still some details to iron out in the design of the building, but leaders say they want the building to blend in with the architecture of Santa Barbara County. One of the designs includes a domed structure that is not unlike some of the Moorish architecture seen elsewhere in the region, said Ken Minnow, a Muslim architect who is working on the project.

“The design really fits in with the character of Santa Barbara,” he said.

Leaders say it was also important to incorporate “green building” principles into the design, such as solar panels, energy-efficient lighting and use of recycled construction materials. It may add to the cost, but officials say it is part of their faith to care for the environment.

“Our prophet tells us that we are to be stewards of natural resources, and that we will have to answer for everything we consume,” Zaman said.

Leaders also want the mosque to include classrooms for children, a prayer hall upstairs and a downstairs area for community gatherings. Outdoor parking space is also planned.

Turjoman, who has been involved in many interfaith organizations in the area, said it will be nice to be able to invite Jewish, Christian and other religious leaders to their “home.”

“People have been so generous and welcoming of us,” she said. “It would be nice to have a place to be able to welcome the community.”

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