Mosque Maryam

Mosque Maryam, also known as Muhammad Mosque #2 or Temple #2, in Chicago, Illinois, is the headquarters of the Nation of Islam. It is at 7351 South Stony Island Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood.[1] Louis Farrakhan's headquarters are in the premises. The building was originally the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church before it relocated to suburban Palos Hills. Elijah Muhammad purchased the building in 1972. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had also lent Elijah Muhammad, his predecessor as head of the Nation of Islam, $3 million to convert the former Greek Orthodox church in Chicago into the Mosque Maryam.[2]

Mosque Maryam
Mosque Maryam
Religion
Affiliation	Nation of Islam (formerly Greek Orthodox)
Leadership	Minister Louis Farrakhan
Location
Location	7351 S. Stony Island Avenue
Municipality	Chicago
State	Illinois
Geographic coordinates	41°45′39″N 87°35′6.2″W
Specifications
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	0
Website
www.noi.org

Design

The main prayer hall is unusual for a mosque, since it was originally the church's nave that contained pews later replaced with seats,[3] where mosques usually have only an open floor space to spread prayer rugs on which to kneel. Mosque Maryam serves as the headquarters and National Center for the Nation of Islam. Adjacent to the mosque is Muhammad University of Islam, an educational institute for boys and girls from preschool through 12th grade.

See also

• List of mosques in the Americas
• Lists of mosques
• List of mosques in the United States

References

1. "Mosque Maryam and The Nation of Islam National Center." Nation of Islam. Retrieved on February 26, 2009.
2. David Lepeska (April 9, 2011). "Farrakhan Using Libyan Crisis to Bolster His Nation of Islam". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
3. Edward E. Curtis (2010). Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History. Infobase Publishing. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-4381-3040-8. Retrieved 16 December 2012.

External links

• Nation of Islam page on Mosque Maryam