Mosque being built in Ammon as local Muslims prepare for annual Ramadan fast

By Rett Nelson

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    IDAHO FALLS (eastidahonews.com) — As construction of a new mosque nears completion, the Islamic community in Idaho Falls is preparing for its annual Ramadan festival on Feb. 28. The public is invited to a celebratory feast.

Ramadan is the name of the ninth Islamic lunar month, according to a website about Islam. It’s the month Muslims believe God revealed the Quran (their book of scripture) to Muhammad, who they revere as a prophet.

During this 30-day festival, members of the faith abstain from food, drink, personal vices, and “all the worldly pleasures that exist.”

“It’s a month of cleansing your mind, cleansing your body, and cleansing your soul,” Mohannad Elabed, a practicing Muslim in Idaho Falls and spokesman for the local faith, tells EastIdahoNews.com.

The fast is broken nightly at sunset. Muslims traditionally eat a date and drink water before praying to officially end the fast. Elabed says the ritual is rooted in centuries of tradition dating back to the time of the ancient prophets.

On the weekends, Muslims meet with family and friends for a celebratory feast. They bring traditional food and socialize together. These gatherings are a Muslim tradition open to anyone wanting to participate.

The Idaho Falls event will be held at sunset on Feb. 28 and every weekend thereafter until the end of March.

“We usually rent out (a local venue) for three or four hours,” says Elabed. “A lot of us will stay until the last prayer of the night — around 7:30. Our doors are open to everyone.”

Muslims meet on Friday for Sabbath worship services, which are also open to the public. They meet in the basement of a medical office building across from The Ivory apartments at 1956 South Woodruff. The prayer service usually happens midday between noon and 1 p.m.

Muslims recite five prayers each day, which are performed at prescribed times. The worship service coincides with the third prayer, which happens at midday. The exact time depends on the sun’s position in the sky.

“It changes daily,” Elabed explains.

Finding a permanent place to worship has been an ongoing effort for years. A Muslim mosque is currently under construction in Ammon. At Elabed’s request, we are not revealing the exact location due to fears of vandalism. Upon completion, it will be named Hanni Mosque in memory of Elabed’s brother, who passed away in 2012.

Construction on the 1,800-square-foot building began in December and is estimated to be completed in May or June. Elabed’s father, Mohammad, is paying for the building out of his own pocket.

A faith’s history in eastern Idaho More than 100 Muslims are living in the Idaho Falls area, according to Elabed.

A small group of them started worshipping together around 2008.

Islam’s roots in eastern Idaho date back to the 1980s. The Idaho State Journal reports it began as a student organization at Idaho State University. The Islamic Society of Southeast Idaho later built a mosque in Pocatello, which was completed in 2014.

Mohammad came to eastern Idaho in 1973 and was the first Muslim in Idaho Falls, as far as members of the faith have been able to document.

Elabed says his dad was born in Palestine. Like many immigrants, he sought opportunity in America. He applied for an immigration visa and worked his way from Puerto Rico to New York, California, and Nevada before eventually settling in Idaho Falls.

“It took him 15 years to bring my mother here because he decided to proceed the legal way,” says Elabed.

Mohammad sold a lot of products related to agriculture, and that’s how he ended up in Idaho Falls.

“He felt very welcomed in this community,” says Elabed. “His family and religious values aligned a lot with the religious communities here in eastern Idaho, so this became home.”

He later established a car dealership in town.

Elabed, 37, who also works in the car industry, was born and raised in Idaho Falls. He, too, has felt welcomed here, but he says many people are misinformed about Islam’s values. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, had a lot to do with that.

He recalls several fights in high school over comments that associated him and his family with terrorists.

Since then, Elabed says there have been occasions when people have refused to do business with him when they discover his name is Mohannad.

Elabed says terrorism is forbidden under Islamic law, and his loyalty is to the United States of America.

“We do not believe in killing. As the Quran says, if you kill one man, it’s as though you’ve killed all of humanity,” he says.

Today, Islam is the third-largest religion in America, according to the latest census data. There are more than 4.4 million Muslims nationwide.

Many of the Muslims living in eastern Idaho are well-educated. Some are engineers at the Idaho National Lab, and others are medical doctors. Elabed says they come from all walks of life and make meaningful contributions to society.

After nearly 40 years of utilizing someone else’s space to worship, Elabed is excited at the prospect of having a mosque. He’s proud to call Idaho Falls his home and welcomes anyone who wants to attend prayer service or enjoy a meal during Ramadan.

“We don’t care what color you are, what race you are, or what religion you are; you are welcome to attend any of our gatherings,” he says. “We’re open to answering any questions.”

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