The Finnish Evangelical Church, later the Faith Lutheran Church (1957) was constructed on this property in 1909. The congregation disbanded in 1977 and in 1979 the property was sold to the North American Islamic Trust, resulting in the establishment of Masjid Al-Arkham. The pews were removed and the second floor became the main prayer hall. For a brief period, the direction of Qibla was disputed, and prayers were held in two directions, until the dispute was resolved on the authority of a publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). In 1983 a Sunday school was started, and the 7,920 sq. ft. adjacent parcel was purchased from the City of Worcester for parking. The same year, the building was registered as a historically significant structure by the Worcester Heritage Preservation Society.
In 1984, 11,538 sq. ft. of additional land were purchased for additional parking. Renovations completed in 1987 added a ladies section and classrooms. The plumbing and heating were also upgraded. In 1993 a resolution called for the establishment of Alhuda Islamic Academy. The Islamic Society of Greater Worcester (ISGW) was registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an independent organization in 2004, and the school is now located next to the new mosque, the Worcester Islamic Center, established in 2006. The ISGW Center is still operational, hosting over 1000 worshippers in Eid al-Adha services.
SOURCES:
Sources:
“About Alhuda – Alhuda Academy.” n.d. Alhuda Academy. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.alhudaacademy.org/about-us/. Archived at https://perma.cc/N4Q7-RQ55.
“HISTORY | WIC MOSQUE.” n.d. WIC MOSQUE. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.wicmasjid.org/history. Archived at https://perma.cc/49MQ-JWQR.
“Our History – ISGW Worcester Mosque.” n.d. Islamic Society of Greater Worcester. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://isgw.us/our-history/. Archived at https://perma.cc/6AS2-9QFJ.
