Islamic Center of Orlando seeks expansion

The growth of the Islamic Center of Orlando has sparked a need to expand its facilities. Leaders for the center, located at 11543 Ruby Lake Road, currently are in the process for Orange County approval of a planned expansion.

The organization plans to expand its mosque and build a large courtyard, community center, sports complex and charity clinic. 

Imam Tariq Rasheed, the center’s worship leader, said the construction project is needed because the community has grown, and the mosque has become too small to hold everyone seeking a place to perform their daily religious prayers. 

“On Fridays, we have about 1,000 people who come to pray,” Rasheed said. “Right now, the issue is that on Fridays, we have roughly 300 people praying under the sun because of lack of space inside. So when it rains, or when the weather becomes too hot or too cold, it becomes a big inconvenience. The women’s space upstairs also gets full, so the sisters who come late have to find a space for themselves. So, it’s become a real headache that’s been an issue for many years now.”

The center plans to expand the mosque to a total of 23,000 feet, which would include separate entrances, praying areas, ritual washing areas, bathrooms for men and women, visitor gallery and conference room.

Other facilities, including a 2,500 square-foot charity clinic, will help people of all faiths without health insurance receive needed medical attention and free food from a pantry. Their current food pantry operates out of a small portable space, and Rasheed hopes the expansion will allow for a permanent space that gives them the ability to grow their pantry.

The center also hosts interfaith activities, such as lunches, breakfasts and barbecues that welcome Jews, Buddhists, atheists and more to eat with Muslims and exchange views. The center currently hosts it in the school cafeteria, but the expansion project would allow it to host such activities in a new 22,000-square-foot community center.

Also in the works is an 18,000-square-foot sports complex, complete with a gym, indoor basketball court and jogging track. The gym will be built in a way that permits Muslim women to work out in privacy.

“Our community is very active and they like to go to gyms, but when they go to gyms they face a serious issue and that is when the time for prayer comes — we pray five times a day — they need to find a place where they can pray,” Rasheed said. “The other issue is that with  women, our Muslim sisters, they like to work out as well ... and in most gyms, there is no separate place for women and men, which gives them no privacy. So in this gym, there will be separate hours for men and women.”

The center has been given approval by Orange County to clear the land, but full-fledged construction has not yet begun. The $10 million project will be funded via donations and fundraisers. Rasheed estimates it will take about 12 to 18 months to complete.

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Contact Gabby Baquero at [email protected].