The Muslim Community Center of Portland, located on Northeast Martin Luther King Boulevard, is hoping to build an entirely new center on the corner of North Vancouver and Northeast Killingsworth Street. Construction is slated to begin in July 2010 and conclude by June 2011.

The current MCC is the only Muslim center on the east side of Portland. It is a modest, single-story building with a separate masjid, or place of worship, for men and women. Prayer, religious events, and educational classes are the dominant activities that take place at the center. 

The newly proposed center will be a two-story, 12,000-square-foot building. According to Muhammad A. Najieb, the director and resident imam (spiritual leader) of the MCC, the new center will be a hub of activity open to people of all religious affiliations. Potential activities for the new center would include daily and weekly prayer, religious holidays, childcare, classes, programs specifically for women, assistance to formerly incarcerated people, a banquet hall, a nursery, and much more. 

Jajieb is also hoping to partner with the city of Portland or Multnomah County in providing social services. “The emphasis we want to place on this project is that it’s open to the community,” Najieb said, later adding, “It will be the only masjid and community center like it in the world.” 

The architectural plans, which were recently honored by the American Institute of Architects, were collaboratively drafted by MCC board members and a local firm. 

Lacking finances, though, may present a possible roadblock in the construction process. The new center is estimated to cost 3.6 million dollars. “[3.6 million] certainly is some dollars for us because we’re not as professionally employed in the Muslim community, or in the Muslim world,” Najieb explained. Accordingly the center began a “common man’s” fundraising effort a few months ago. The goal is to receive a $50 donation from 100,000 contributors. 

Members are currently working to establish a mobile call center to accept donations via phone, as well as to contact every Islamic center and business in the country in search of financial assistance. The MCC has also solicited international donations from Muslim countries with embassies in the United States, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait, and others. Shauku abd’Hafidh, director of youth and community events at the MCC, told The Sentinel that in those cases where a monetary contribution is not feasible, the MCC is also actively accepting prayers of support.

The purpose of the MCC goes beyond supporting and facilitating Islamic life in the city of Portland. “Our goal is, number one, to clarify any stereotypes others may have about what a Muslim is, and what a Muslim does, and what a Muslim is about,” said Najieb. 

“[The new center] is a more advanced, sophisticated effort,” abd’Hafidh said of the new center’s potential. “We are hoping that this masjid becomes a beacon of light for all believers and nonbelievers.” 

The architectural plans for the new community center, as well as a calendar of past and present fundraising events, are viewable online at www.mccpbuildingfund.org. 

Muslim Community Center, 3801 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.,

(503) 281-7691.