Rise of the Mega-Mosque

By  by Bennett Gordon
Published on July 24, 2008

<p>Taking a page from the evangelical mega-churches that have popped up around the country, Muslims have begun setting up multi-site “mosque chains” to accommodate increasingly large religious services, <a title=”Mallika Rao reports for the <I>Religion News Service</I>” href=”http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/muslims_begin_to_copy_the_megachurch_multi_site_model/” target=”_blank”>Mallika Rao reports for the <i>Religion News Service</i>
</a>. Often branded as more progressive than other mosques, some of the organizations have begun offering gymnasiums, adult education classes, and even mixed-gender prayer areas. The strategy seems to be paying off, both financially and organizationally. Abeer Abdulla, a media specialist for the Islamic Society of Central Florida in Orlando, told Rao, “because of how streamlined we are, you can get off the highway from anywhere and find a mosque that is well-maintained, well-structured and that will always be open.” </p>
<p>(Thanks, <a title=”Pew Forum” href=”http://pewforum.org/news/rss.php?NewsID=16109″ target=”_blank”>Pew Forum</a>.)</p>

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