Alaska – The U.S. state of Alaska is due to get its first mosque in the town of Anchorage.
The small Muslim community in the town have for years been performing congregational prayers in a rented space in a shopping mall, but the growing number of Muslims in the area left them will no choice but to search for a bigger space.
After years of fundraising, the four-year construction of the state’s first mosque is now near completion.
The two-story mosque will cater for both men and women, and will also include classrooms, offices and a library for the benefit of local Muslims who have migrated from all over the world.
Estimates for the number of Alaskan Muslims range from 1,000 to 5,000, about 0.5% of the state’s population./worldbulletin/