Al Salam Foundation breaks ground on Carmel mosque after years of hurdles

After years of overcoming legal challenges and governmental hurdles, more than 200 people gathered excitedly Saturday to break ground on the Islamic Life Center in Carmel.

"My heart is pounding so fast with no fear or sadness but truly with a feeling of joy and pleasure," Nadeem Ikhlaque, Al Salam's founding president, said from a podium at the site of the future center. "In my 54 years of life, I never had this feeling, but today I have — standing in front of you."

Carmel leaders, the Al Salam Foundation, Muslim members and those from other faith communities and the public broke ground on the city's first mosque near West 141st Street and Shelborne Road. The center will be under the umbrella of the foundation, which is an Islamic nonprofit organization.

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"We are practicing our faith rituals — daily and weekly prayers, nightly prayers, fasting through the month of Ramadan," said Ashhar Madni, president of the Al Salam Foundation, to the crowd.

"The other half of our faith is to do good deeds. ... While we worship our creator, we need to serve his creation as well."

The road to this point was not a straight line and showed the clash that can occur as cities become more diverse. While city, community and religious leaders largely supported the project, many Carmel residents of different cultural and religious backgrounds in nearby upscale neighborhoods protested against it, saying they were largely concerned with property values.

Center members told IndyStar on Saturday that they looked forward to being a good and inviting neighbor.

Children made tall, spiraled balloons that floated above the crowd in a tent where a roster of speakers and imams gave thanks to God and Carmel community members, offered their aspirations for the space and prayed. Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard and Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, both Republicans, attended as well as members of the Hindu and Jewish communities. Faisal Khan, a member of the board of the Al Salam Foundation, spoke, and so too did Jerry Zehr, retired pastor of Carmel Christian Church and a founder of the Carmel Interfaith Alliance.

U.S. Rep. André Carson, who is one of three Muslims serving in Congress, and state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, the only Muslim in the Indiana General Assembly, also spoke. Both are Democrats.

What the Islamic Life Center will look like

A series of renderings showed what's planned for the Islamic Life Center, which will feature a minaret. It will include space to worship, classrooms, office space, a gymnasium and kitchen. A parking lot will be outside. Khan said that construction will take place over the next two years, and the grand opening is planned for late 2024, though that will depend on the availability of supplies.

The mosque will serve northern areas including Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville. Center member Sadaf Kheiri said it will especially provide much-needed space for Jummah — which is a congregational gathering for prayer — on Fridays and during holy months. It will also be a community center for potlucks, Quran study, basketball games, interfaith meetings and open houses that welcome people of all beliefs, she said.

"With the mayor's support, it really — for just a person like me — it shows that hey, we're here, I don't have to have my kids be scared to be who they really are and show that they are of Islamic and Muslim faith, and we're accepted," Kheiri said.

"People when they don't know who you are or they don't know much about you, they assume. That's why I keep saying I want to make sure we have open doors to anyone that wants to just come in and know who we are — come in and ask questions."

The path to building the mosque

The genesis of the mosque began in 2012 — the year the Al Salam Foundation was founded. The year before, Ikhlaque had bought a home in Carmel, but he didn't have a place of worship that was less than 30 minutes away. When it came time for worship and prayers, the commute was difficult, especially on work days.

So a group of about six people with similar desires convened, forming the foundation in a small rented space off 96th Street. Members grew quickly and more space was needed.

The Al Salam Foundation sought to build a Muslim place of worship in 2018. The group found five acres in the city's west side in what's largely a residential area. They sought approval from the Carmel's Board of Zoning Appeals.

The city's zoning department recommended approval. The city's zoning ordinance supports houses of worship in similar circumstances because religious uses are viewed as compatible with neighborhoods. In practice, city officials at the time said churches routinely were allowed to locate in residential areas, including at the time the Coptic Orthodox Church two miles to the south.

But unlike meetings on approvals for other places of worship, public meetings about the proposed mosque were packed by Carmel residents. Many of those who opposed the mosque's construction lived in nearby neighborhoods, saying they feared for impacted property values and increased traffic. The building will be 18,000 square feet, according to the Al Salam Foundation.

Ultimately, the board approved the plan to build the mosque, prompting a lawsuit that stifled but did not halt the process.

Councilman Miles Nelson, who was not on Carmel's City Council at the time of the proposal and subsequent meetings, said he's glad to see the city expand and grow in diversity as a result.

"The city is transitioning for the better, not saying that it was bad in the past, but I think cities evolve and Carmel is continuing to get better," Nelson said.

During the past decade, Carmel has welcomed various places of worship, including a Jewish synagogue, a Greek Orthodox Church, a Mormon temple and an Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church.

"The intention was one thing — that we want to do something to please God above and beyond ourselves," Ikhlaque told IndyStar about what initially united Al Salam.

"We work for our families, give a great life to our children. But doing something — which we call it 'never-ending charity' — even after you die, this place will exist and continue to be the source where people can come worship as well as continue to portray the religion of Islam to the community and people of other faiths."

IndyStar archives contributed to this report.

Rachel Fradette is a general assignment reporter at IndyStar. Contact her at rfradette@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter at @Rachel_Fradette.

Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Muslim group breaks ground on Carmel mosque after years of hurdles