Masjid al-Faatir opened in 1987 in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago, the first free-standing mosque in the city. It is now one of nearly 70 mosques in the metropolitan Chicago area. It was established by Jabir Herbert Muhammad, manager of the boxer Muhammad Ali and son of the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, on land he donated. Muhammad Ali provided significant financial support for its founding.
In plan, Masjid al-Faatir has two octagonal sections joined together, one larger than the other, and has two free-standing minarets and a large central dome. The mosque can accommodate up to three thousand worshipers at one time.
Sources:
Goldstein, Richard. "Jabir Herbert Muhammad, Who Managed Muhammad Ali, Dies at 79." New York Times, August 27, 2008. Accessed January 8, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/sports/othersports/28muhammad.html.
Joselit, Jenna Weissman. Parade of faiths immigration and American religion, 92. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Numrich, Paul D. "Muslims." Encyclopedia of Chicago History, accessed January 8, 2015, http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/865.html.
