The Muslim Mosque Association of Sacramento announced plans to expand its presence in the Southside Park community by converting a nearby building at 2110 Fifth St. into a multiuse facility and community center.

Southside Park Neighborhood Association President Beverly Bumpas said it was the first time the MMA had sent representatives to a neighborhood meeting. Bumpas said she believed their desire to build a new facility has now given them “reason to make the effort to be involved.”

A vibrant Muslim community has existed in Southside Park since the first mosque west of the Mississippi River was constructed there in 1946. The Muslim presence in the community has aided in transitioning Muslim immigrants into life in Sacramento, Bumpas said.

MMA’s website claims that it is “here to serve the Muslim community in their religious, social, political and educational needs.”

By focusing specifically on the Muslim community, MMA’s involvement in the Southside Park community at large has gone somewhat unrecognized, but this now seems to be changing.

MMA President Sarfraz Anwar represented the Muslim community at August’s neighborhood association meeting to lay out plans for the new construction. Anwar said in an e-mail interview that MMA’s relationship with the Southside Park community has always been “very friendly,” and that it is supportive of the proposed plans for the new construction.

Bumpas said she found it hard to believe that the MMA had not known the neighborhood association met monthly to discuss community issues.

“It’s ironic that now they are starting to participate,” Bumpas said.

Anwar revealed in an e-mail that construction will probably begin by 2011 and should be complete within two to three years, depending on funds.

The 9,600-square-foot building would be used for “activities besides prayer,” he wrote.

Bumpas said she gathered from the meeting that the center would include a multipurpose room and classrooms for adult education.

“Mosque leaders hope to keep Muslim youth out of trouble by providing this place for them to meet and spend their extracurricular hours,” Bumpas said.

The new community center is located around the corner from the Sacramento Islamic Mosque and MMA facilities, making residents worry that parking issues will continue to be a problem in the neighborhood.

Bumpas said that at least 45 minutes of the meeting was spent discussing parking concerns.

As a result of the Muslim community center’s construction, a dialogue has begun between the residents of Southside Park and the Muslim community. This interaction had been nonexistent in previous years, Bumpas said.

Bumpas said the meeting ended on a very positive note with Muslim community leaders agreeing to send representatives to future neighborhood association meetings.

MMA representatives said they would consider allowing Southside Park residents use of the new facilities when they are not in use by the congregation if they comply with religious rules that would exclude consuming alcohol or listening to certain types of music on their premises.

Photos by Dane Johnson

Editor's Note: The Sacramento Press editorial staff edited this article to reflect that some of the quotes were taken from an e-mail interview, not a face-to-face interview.