With hopes of increasing awareness and knowledge of the Muslim faith, a local mosque is inviting members of the Ames community to visit its new facilities.

The Darul Arqum Islamic Center, 1212 Iowa Ave., is holding an open house from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday to celebrate its recent opening.

“We would like to invite members of the community to come and meet us, learn about Islam and feel welcome in our house of worship,” said Stephen Aigner, Ames resident.

Aigner, a practitioner at the mosque, said he hopes the Islamic center’s role in the community will increase with the new building.

“In most Islamic cultures, the mosque is the center of the community,” he said. “[Darul Arqum] will hopefully be the center for Muslim families in Ames.”

Other mosques in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines opened themselves to the community immediately following the Sept. 11 tragedy. At that time, construction of the Darul Arqum mosque was not completed, so another goal of the open house is to follow suit in this respect, Aigner said.

The mosque contrasts with the old Islamic Center, he said, which was a converted home in a residential community.

“The new mosque is one of the largest in Iowa and is certainly the newest,” Aigner said. “It has wonderful acoustics and lighting . and more people are able to worship in the same room at the same time.”

The new mosque boasts a parking lot and large prayer hall, which accommodated about 600 people at an event earlier this year, he said.

Darul Arqum holds Salat – prayer – five times daily, hosts weddings and funerals and also has programs to educate youth about Islam.

Additionally, the new Islamic Center is working with leaders from local churches to help build a strong community outreach program, he said.

“People can come in and we will give them a tour of the mosque,” said Syed Azam, practitioner of Islam and Ames resident.

There will be posters, presentations, exhibits and artifacts that represent the history of Islam, and refreshments will be provided, he said.

This is a great opportunity for members of the community to become more knowledgeable about the Islamic faith, Aigner said.

“I think it’s good for students to see how other cultures create their art through their religion,” said John Cunnally, who plans to visit the open house.

Cunnally, ISU associate professor of art and design, said he has been encouraging his students to attend the open house.

“The more people in Iowa learn more about Islam and other faiths, the more everyone benefits,” he said.