The Bronx Muslim center in Van Nest will soon become the largest mosque in New York state.

The new building will be located down the block from the existing one on Rhinelander Avenue.

It will be four floors and 32,000 square feet, which is 10 times larger than the original center. Staff members told News 12 this was long overdue, as the Muslim community is growing and they needed a space to accommodate that growth.

"Community members, Muslims and non-Muslims got used to sitting on the sidewalks, praying on sidewalks, praying in the street. They knew that we needed something larger," said Yahay Obeid, the outreach liaison at the Bronx Muslim Center.

Obeid said most of the members of the mosque visit it multiple times a week. They had to add additional prayer times to accommodate overflow, and he said they are often at capacity. He said the new center will allow for fewer prayer times and larger congregations.

The new Bronx Muslim Center will also feature community areas for various events, classrooms and meeting rooms. It hopes to build outdoor seating on the roof and a cafeteria in the basement.

"This will be the first community center in the surrounding neighborhoods for our youth. So we need to take the youth off the street and bring them in to somewhere safe, somewhere where they're in a learning environment, a positive environment," said Obeid. He wants to emphasize the importance of supporting youth. He said weekend school will teach them community values, and anyone who wants to learn Arabic is welcome.

The Bronx Muslim Center hopes to open the new mosque by the end of 2026.

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