East Brunswick Mosque Breaks Ground For $4M Expansion Project

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Dawoodi Bohra community in East Brunswick celebrated the end of Ramadan by laying the foundation for the mosque expansion project.

Several local leaders were present at the groundbreaking ceremony, including Mayor Brad Cohen, Assemblymen Sterley Stanley, County Clerk Nancy Pinkin, East Brunswick Operations Captain Drew Walsh, and Deborah Cornavaca, the Deputy Chief of Staff of Governor Murphy.

The 20,200-square-foot extension project includes a new kitchen, a new school or “madrasah,” and a recreation center.

The Masjid al-Zainy is nestled within 10 acres of land in East Brunswick and has been in the community for the past 16 years. More than 200 families, spread across the state, pray at the mosque in East Brunswick.

The project cost more than $4 million, raised through donations from the Dawoodi Bohra community.

"[This project] is something that’s done with our own personal finances...we believe so strongly in our local community that we’ve invested part of our lives and futures in this project,” said Dr. Huzaifa Shakir a community member.

He emphasized that the kitchen was being built to ensure every community member receives one meal a day, and the goal is carried out in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

The community kitchen program at the mosque is funded by donations and feeds around 200 families every day.

The mosque also donates food and provisions to community food banks in the county.

“The idea of sustainability, and the idea that you want to take and provide to your children a better world, and the opportunity for them to take something, and leave it better than the way in which you found it—those are universal beliefs,” said Mayor Brad Cohen.

“You are welcome in this community; we are thrilled to have you as part of our community.”

Deborah Cornavaca delivered a letter on behalf of Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy, wishing the community a “successful and memorable event.”

Murtaza Khomusi, a spokesperson for the community told Patch that the project is "inspired and being conducted under the guidance of our spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin who encourages all community members to invest in our communities," especially in providing children a modern state of the art educational experience.

The Dawoodi Bohra community is a denomination within Shia Islam hailing from India, Pakistani, East Africa, and the Gulf States.

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