New mosque is largest in Atlanta

Worshipers in the main prayer hall, stand in rows facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia. (Dave Bender)


Muslims in Atlanta celebrated the opening of a new home for community and prayer yesterday. Their 10 million dollar mosque in midtown near Georgia Tech is considered the largest, most ornate mosque in the southeast.

Under the coppery dome of the white and tan al-Farooq mosque on 14th Street, over a hundred barefoot men and youths line up in rows, and prostrate themselves facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

A "mu'adhdhin" – or prayer-caller - intones the afternoon service in the building's dramatic, three-story, carpeted hall.

In the lobby behind them, over a hundred dignitaries, interfaith groups and Muslim worshipers are here to see the new 46,000 square-foot center.

It replaces the original, nearly 30-year-old mosque that had room for only 300 prayergoers. The new center’s prayer halls have room for 1,800 men and women.

One of them is veteran member, Haji Iqbal:

“We are glad. finally, we open it, you know, and have a big facility for all the people to come and worship.”

Those who come to pray are Sunni Muslims, and they come from 39 different countries. They’re part of over 80,000 native and immigrant Muslims spread throughout metro Atlanta.

And Khalid Saddiq of the mosque's board of trustees says this community is happy with their spacious new spiritual centerpiece:

“I think it's a sense of humbleness and gratitude towards god almighty that he has enabled us to see the completion of this mosque. The mosque has turned out to be much better than what we ever expected.”

To celebrate the opening, they invited the Atlanta community; from Baptist ministers and Jewish lay leaders, to state representatives like Congressman John Lewis:

“It's a tremendous new religious gathering place, and it's very wonderful for this open house to take place, and it's important for people to know and understand the Muslim community.”

Two community members that are clearly proud of the new structure, are Pakistani immigrants Shakib Sadiqui and Adnan Hanan.

Worshipers Shakib Sadiqui and Adnan Hanan, standing near the mosque's minaret. (Dave Bender)

They stand beneath the building's almost 150-foot tall white minaret – or prayer tower. To them, the mosque is a symbol of Islam’s growth in Georgia and the south:

“It's a symbol of Islam, alhamdilah (Allah be praised), and you know, we pray to Allah – God Almighty – that he makes this a means of spreading Islam in this part of the world... and the opportunity to understand Islam."

Besides the mosque, the four-acre complex includes a school, parking facilities, and officials hope to build a student residence hall and library.

Muslim community members and guests in the main prayer hall, as seen through the lobby's ornate glass doors. (Dave Bender)

A new meaning to 'faith-driven community'

A mobile congregation faces Pastor Norman Markle standing in the doorway of New Hope Methodist Church as he delivers a sermon broadcast on AM airwaves during a drive-in service at the 152-year-old church in Marietta, Ga. (AP / John Amis)

The preacher stood in the doorway of the picturesque church and looked out at the parking lot as his congregation gathered for the early morning service.

By the time the Rev. Norman Markle started his sermon, everyone was still in their vehicles — just as planned. The 150-year-old New Hope United Methodist Church is offering a drive-in service, hoping to attract new visitors with an unusual worship experience.

“Maybe they don’t have a church or don’t care to get dressed up to go to church; let’s find a way to eliminate all that,” Markle said. “People go where they’re comfortable.”

The service has all the markings of traditional worship — hymns, a Scripture reading and a sermon — but everything is broadcast over an AM radio station. Attendees can stay in their cars, spread a blanket on the ground or go inside the tiny chapel, depending on where they are most at ease.

The Georgia church is still working out the kinks after just a few weeks of drive-in services. One recent Sunday, a sports radio show bled through on the church’s AM channel, punctuating hymns and prayers with scores and stats.

Markle is hoping to draw attention to his 88-member church, which is off the beaten path in a suburban Atlanta area now crowded with automotive repair shops, car dealerships and fast food restaurants. He plans to run the services through the fall, or until the weather gets too cold to sit outdoors.

The church hopes to add a monthly communion to the drive-in service, where attendees would be served the bread and grape juice in their cars. Some Sundays, coffee and doughnuts will be offered after worship.

A recent Sunday drew about 20 worshippers in 10 or so vehicles. Most of the group sat in their cars and trucks, enjoying the unseasonably cool morning. The crowd included three dogs and several people munching on breakfast as they sang along to “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.”

One family piled on a blanket in the back of their pickup truck with their rat terrier, Kapone, and listened to the sermon.

“I think it’s incredible,” said Kapone’s owner, Renee Ford-Murphy, who’s been a member at New Hope for three years. “I’ve never had an opportunity to worship in the open air like this.”

The church has advertised the service in the newspaper and with signs along the winding roads that lead to the tiny, white chapel. “Come worship in your car, just as you are,” the signs say.

Rebecca Ash-Allen and her husband, Chuck Allen, decided to try out the service after they saw the signs, which are close to the Chrysler dealership where Allen works. The couple likes to listen to the service with the top down on their green convertible.

“It allows me to have an enjoyable setting while praying,” Ash-Allen said. “He and I both feel more comfortable in this setting.”

(The Associated Press)

Sex offenders claim religious worship stifled

Five sex offenders say a state law blocks them from participating in religious worship. They filed a lawsuit today against a provision that bars sex offenders from serving any role with a religious organization. The complaint says "even helping a pastor with Bible study or preparing a meal in a church kitchen will subject (sex offenders) to prosecution and imprisonment." The main portion of the measure bans sex offenders from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of just about anywhere children gather.