LAS VEGAS – The first mosque in the US to be fully financed by a Muslim woman has opened its doors near N. Jones and Rancho, in US Western resort city of Las Vegas, amid hopes to counter anti-Islam political propaganda.
“Finally, the day came, when my dream, came true,” Sharaf Haseebullah told News3 LV on Saturday, January 30.
“This place is inclusive. We are not going tell anybody not to come. Even if they have faith or not. I’m not going to judge anybody.”
The new mosque, Masjid Ibrahim, opened its doors on Friday. It is deemed the first mosque in North America to be fully paid for by an American-Muslim woman.
Funded fully by Haseebullah, the entire mosque construction cost $3 million.
“I’m a pharmacist I always worked all my life 24/7. The other thing is I’m a real estate investor also, so half of this comes from my real estate investing,” says Haseebullah.
At the age of 71, Haseebullah said that negative stereotypes of Muslims would not stop her.
“You can do it. If you have good intentions, determination, nothing can stop you,” says Haseebullah.
“So that they can see Muslim people they are not just talking, they do it, good job, good deed.”
Muslims make up 1% of America’s 322 million population, according to Pew Research center.
Anti-Muslim sentiments have reached an all-time high after the rise of the so-called Islamic State, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Moreover, the Republican presidential candidates, such as Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson, have added to increasing anti-Muslim sentiments.
Trump’s views on immigration have sparked controversy nationwide, especially his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the US.