A groundbreaking ceremony featuring invocations by Muslim prayer leaders out of Joplin and Tulsa is slated for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the construction site on Farm Road 133. An invitation sent by American Momin Park leadership on Friday went out to dozens of local Christian, Jewish and civic leaders.
Zahirsha said that the first two phases of the project are budgeted to cost $2 million; he said he personally sold houses he owned in Los Angeles and St. Louis to help buy land and otherwise develop the project.
Zahirsha said the mosque nonprofit, established in 2014, has roughly $650,000 in hand and expects to be able to raise funds for the remaining portion of the $1.2 million phase 1, which includes the religious facility and the cemetery. When funding is in place, construction will happen quickly, he said.
Needs for a growing Muslim American community Zahirsha said American Momin Park reflects the needs of a growing Muslim American community. In Springfield, Muslims hail from some 40 nationalities, he said, and comprise roughly 1,000 people, many employed by health care systems and colleges.
A group of Afghan migrants evacuated by the U.S. as the Taliban took control of Kabul are expected to soon join their numbers , Zahirsha said. But he added that the new mosque — separate from the existing local mosque, Islamic Center of Springfield — is being planned over the very long term, a century or more.
Currently, Ozarks residents seeking Muslim burial sites must choose facilities in Joplin or Kansas City, Zahirsha said. That’s a problem in terms of attracting family-oriented Muslim individuals to settle in Springfield. Visiting the gravesites of parents and family members is an important practice on major holidays or during normal mosque attendance on Fridays.
“If I’m living here, if anybody living here, they want their parents or grandparents to get buried here,” Zahirsha said. “That is the speciality of our community: When they passed away, they want to bury nearby. If (the cemetery) is within their community center, it’s very good for them. Every Friday, or a yearly function, they can come and go and visit them, so they feel they are with them.”
The addition of a new mosque could bring new professionals to Springfield Many Muslims looking at moving here are educated professionals, he said: Doctors, dentists, engineers, IT professionals. This group also includes many people of Indian, Pakistani and other south Asian ethnic backgrounds, Zahirsha said. The presence of a mosque and faith-oriented school facilities for kids becomes a huge factor on deciding where to live. Many opt for big cities like Chicago or Dallas because plenty of mosques are available.
Zahirsha and his wife, Dr. Mehjabeen Zahirsha, started American Dental Solutions in 2007 and have watched these realities unfold over time, he said. Zahirsha’s sons live in Chicago and Dallas pursuing professional fields; he said he would like them to come live in Springfield.
He said, “All doctors, what’s happening, they come here, as soon as they see there is no church, a good church for them — no religious school for them — they want to bring up the children very ethical.” (Zahirsha often refers to a mosque as a church or by the Arabic term masjid.)
The perceived lack of those religious institutions pushes Muslims away, Zahirsha said. “Then, they will only come for interview. If there’s no place of good worship, a good community center on that ethic, a school system, they are not moving.”
Zahirsha said he believes adding a new mosque will attract new Muslim residents ready to start medical practices and other businesses that will benefit the entire community.
“The city of Springfield, Greene County, this area will be prosperous, because it will bring a lot of professionals… it will bring good, it is good for the city.”
