While Baltimore’s Muslim families were busy growing ISB, a different story was unfolding in Prince George’s County. In the late 1980s, immigrant families, mostly from Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and West Africa, were settling in Lanham, Greenbelt, and College Park. Many worked in government, medicine, or engineering, but like their peers in Catonsville, they faced the same question: Where will we pray?
At first, prayers rotated between basements and apartments. Students from the University of Maryland often joined, carrying food and laughter into crowded living rooms. But by the late ‘80s, the community had grown too large for such improvised spaces. The families decided they needed a permanent place of worship.
Pooling their resources, they purchased a modest property in Lanham, a small building with more hope than space. It became the first home of the Prince George’s Muslim Association (PGMA).
The early days were humble. Jummah prayers filled the small hall, forcing latecomers to pray outside in the parking lot. Weekend Qur’an classes were held with chalkboards propped against walls. Potluck dinners became lively cultural exchanges, with jollof rice alongside biryani and molokhia.
But the heart of PGMA was not in its walls, it was in the people. African American Muslims, immigrant families, and international students prayed side by side. The diversity gave PGMA a unique energy, reflecting both the global and local community of Islam in Maryland.
Leaders quickly realized that PGMA was more than just a masjid. It was a community center. It hosted youth groups, interfaith dialogues, and charity drives for neighbors. It became a place where children learned their first surahs, where teenagers found mentors, and where elders felt they finally had a spiritual home.
Over the years, PGMA expanded from its modest building to a larger mosque and full-fledged community hub. But the spirit of its founding remained: a grassroots effort, born from families who believed their children deserved a mosque close to home.
The founding of PGMA proved that Maryland’s Muslim community was not limited to one area or city. It was spreading, growing, and planting roots across the state. Together with ISB in Baltimore, PGMA in Prince George’s County became a cornerstone, two pillars anchoring Muslim life on either side of Maryland.