Breaking Ground: The Phoenix Mosque and Institute Project as a Template for Mosque Transformation and Development in America

This paper explores the development of mosques, or masajid in plural, in America after Imam W.D. Mohammed assumed leadership of the then Nation of Islam and named it the World Community of Al-Islam in the West (WCIW). The societal, institutional and cultural challenges facing the distinct communities of Muslim in America historically stymied mosque development for years before the introduction of a new stabilizing force that produced massive growth of the physical institution of a mosque or masjid. This stabilizing force was a nationwide organization. An examination of The Phoenix Mosque and Institute Project, that produced Masjid Jauharatul Islam in Phoenix and Tempe Cultural Center in Tempe, was an initiative directly related to Imam W.D. Mohammed, in particular, reflects the experiences in funding, ownership and actual architecture of mosque building nationwide.