Members of the Board of Trustees
Imam Juma M***a
Assistant Imam Musa Jabbi
Sister Zainab Abdul-Qaabidh
Brother Nigel Edwards
The Mosque of the Late King Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Inc., or Masjid King Khalid for short, is located in Raleigh, North Carolina within the grounds of Shaw University. In the early 1980s, Shaw University wanted a new building to be used by its students and staff. A
Muslim professor at Shaw University, Dr. Urabi Mustafa, facilitated a deal for everyone to get what they wanted. With money from the Saudi royal family, the International and Islamic Studies Building was built on the condition that it included a mosque for the Muslim community at large and classrooms and offices for students and staff. Everyone initially received what they desired. Approximately two decades after the establishment of the mosque, the university administration tried to shut it down; public pressure dissuaded them from doing so. Unfortunately, this fight was a precursor to the elimination of the Islamic Studies program at Shaw University. Shortly afterwards, the local Muslim community would incorporate and continuing running mosque as a nonprofit entity. The administration of Shaw University, fully aware of our nonprofit status, did not protest this new partnership between us and them. Nevertheless, our congregation would go on to have several issues over the years with the administration regarding access to the building and general upkeep of the facilities. As we proceeded to find solutions to our differences, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic began. All parties involved agreed to suspend in-person religious services. As we saw things improve and multiple houses of worship resume in-person services, we believed it was time for the mosque to reopen too. However, David Byrd, Vice President for Finance and Administration/CFO, informed us that the university was not ready to take this step. He notified us accordingly on March 30, 2021. We then saw with our own eyes that the university’s chapel was having public religious services and various programs throughout the pandemic. If the mosque was closed under the pretense of COVID-19, then how could the chapel be open? We were all subject to the same pandemic on the same campus. How could there be two different standards? This scenario would be bad anywhere; but it was especially disappointing to occur at a university that played such an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. We sent a letter highlighting this hypocrisy to David Byrd on April 14, 2022. In his response he admitted that “…the Chapel, through the Divinity School, does hold worship services.”. However, this was acceptable, in his opinion, because programing at the chapel was conducted by university staff, students and administrators. In his view we were an “outside organization” and thus prohibited from having access to the mosque. Nevertheless, he would contact us once, “the University reopens for public use…”. David Byrd’s response was devoid of logic. What is the nexus between COVID-19 and whether or not religious services are conducted by us or university staff, students and administrators? Are we somehow more prone to spread COVID-19 than those who attend services at the chapel? In the background of this glaring double standard is Shaw University’s plan to redevelop its valuable property. Named the ShawU District, the plan’s website speaks of its mission that, “…honors the past, acknowledges the present, and anticipates possibilities for the future.”. Our community certainly did not feel like our past was being honored. Nor was the administration acknowledging what it was doing to us in the present. The aforementioned considered, we certainly did not feel included in Shaw University’s future. Therefore, we attended one of the community meetings conducted by Kevin Sullivan, Vice President for Real Estate & Strategic Development, and Yvonne Holley, a university community liaison.The following day, we emailed Kevin Sullivan and Yvonne Holley conveying our community’s desire for engagement with them. We have yet to receive a response. We began publicly protesting outside the mosque on January 13, 2023. The administration quickly pivoted to say the mosque was open, but only to students. Furthermore, they continued to say the mosque was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the media asked whether or not the chapel was open to the public, the administration refused to answer. This, however, changed last month. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) sent a letter to the administration. To respond to CAIR’s letter, Shaw’s chaplain, Reverend Dr. LaMont Johnson, was chosen. Shockingly, he said in his response, "Neither the mosque nor the campus chapel is generally open to the public for standard church meetings, prayer vigils, or worship services...". There is ample proof the public has been allowed to attend many services and events in the chapel during the pandemic. There is content on YouTube and a video taken by a member of our community attending a Saturday worship service on September 10, 2022. If it was that clear that the chapel wasn't open to the public, why couldn't the administration say that when questioned by the media on multiple occasions? Johnson did everything to make his response as evasive as possible. Whereas in the past COVID-19 was the excuse given for us being denied access, Rev. Johnson simply mentioned the, "safety, security, and the well-being of our students as the foremost priority.". Absent a more detailed explanation, we are only left to speculate how our congregation’s presence allegedly possesses a threat to the safety and security of the students. As of March 14, 2023, the administration’s official position is, “Shaw University will no longer host a public mosque.” In one sentence, the administration of Shaw University officially tried to wipe out a community of forty years. Fortunately, the Raleigh City Council has the final say. As a private university, Shaw’s administrators have been able to inflict numerous injustices without accountability to others. The bad news for them, is that they want something that necessitates being answerable to elected officials. The members of this governing body have a duty to protect communities like ours. Right now, this protection must come in the form of denying Shaw University’s rezoning application. We are not against all rezoning. We simply object to rezoning that eradicates local communities for no legitimate reason. A detailed master plan would give the City Council the ability to assure residents that this won’t happen. Simultaneously, a message would be sent to the administration of Shaw University that discrimination, and efforts to conceal it, is not acceptable. In a previous News & Observer article, Shaw University President, Dr. Paulette Dillard, said, “We are fighting for our very existence…”. Although she was speaking to the university’s financial viability, her words can be easily applied our sentiments on a different level. We fight to honor the arrangement that led to the creation of the International and Islamic Studies Building located at 130 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27601. We fight to uphold the legacy of civil rights and equal treatment that Shaw University is supposed to be promoting. We fight to ensure that later generations have access to the same place of worship that we did. Join us in this fight by demanding that the Raleigh City Council vote “No” to Shaw University’s rezoning application!
*********************************UPDATE**********************************
We are happy to report that Masjid King Khalid has resumed religious services! We signed a Memorandum of Understanding that gives us access to the building for three years. We are actively working on reaching a long-term solution. Go to www.masjidkingkhalid.org for the most up to date info regarding prayers times and programming.
