Neighbors Come Together to Support Dar Al-Noor
As the Board of County Supervisors prepares for next week’s critical hearing on whether to approve the expansion of the Dar Al-Noor mosque on Hoadly Road in Manassas, supporters of the project are banding together to ensure that their voices are heard loud and clear.
Since the expansion permit was first approved in November 2019, the Muslim Association of Virginia’s blueprint for Dar Al-Noor far exceeds its existence as merely a place of worship, as future plans include expanding upon Dar Al-Noor’s health and wellness clinics, blood drives, candidate debates, and environmental seminars. The site will also be home to the first Islamic private school in Prince William County, providing the congregation more educational choices for their children than the local public school system.
The proposed expansion to 1,782 prayer rugs will accommodate the current congregation to worship within the facility without adding additional prayer services and allow for future growth of the congregation.
Prince William County’s requirement for any religious organization is for every three congregants, the facility must provide one parking spot. Based on county reports, there will be an estimated increase in parking spots from its current 330 to 781 spots. Dar al Noor will exceed the threshold after the expansion, and it will allow the mosque to have additional parking on site, which should reduce, if not completely avoid, difficult parking situations in neighborhood streets.
The number of vehicle trips will only happen one day a week on Fridays during off-peak hours, for a total duration of 15 mins per hour for 3 hours, where traffic is managed by PWC police paid by Dar al Noor. It offers several different prayer services to accommodate the safety concerns of its neighbors and congregation which will also mitigate traffic.
The proposed square footage (88,276 feet) for the expansion is less than the surrounding schools, that are located within the nearby neighborhoods. In addition, Dar al Noor plans to contribute towards the newly approved VDOT traffic light with a condition the funds will be used for the light, which will cost an estimated $885,000.
For several years the mosque has contributed to the Prince William County community in several aspects. From providing hot meals during the pandemic to offering food items on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, it has fed several families during difficult times. They have also partnered with organizations such as ACTS, VOICE, Prince William Food Rescue, ICNA Relief, and more to reach out in support efforts. In addition, Dar al Noor works with other houses of worship.
Despite its continuous benefits to the community over numerous years of service, many individuals have expressed concerns regarding the plan for Dar Al-Noor’s expansion.
On Tuesday, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega held a telephone town hall for residents to voice their opinion on the slated expansion, either in favor or opposition. According to both listeners and callers who spoke with the PW Perspective on the condition of anonymity, the session was predominantly in favor of the latter, as one individual was personally concerned about who would be paying for the wear and tear of police vehicles, while another was concerned about the reality that the mosque would be viewable in the public sphere.
As seen in the schedule below, the next BOCS meeting on the topic will convene at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, February 2nd. For those who would like to speak virtually, you may sign-up to do so at the following link.
