NewYork shuts down B'desh-run Jamaica Muslim Center

New York City authorities have temporarily shut down the Bangladesh-run Jamaica Muslim Center (JMC) in Queens over fire safety concerns after inspectors found that its ongoing expansion project lacked an automatic sprinkler system.

The closure prevented worshippers from offering Friday prayers at the centre on November 6, according to a report by Projonmo Kotha.

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) ordered the suspension of activities until the required fire safety measures are installed.

Thomas Ford, a fire safety inspector with the department's Special Inspection Unit, said inspectors visited the centre following several complaints and found that the expansion building did not have an automatic sprinkler system.

He said the centre must remain closed until the installation is completed. Its authorities will then have to notify the fire department for another inspection before receiving permission to resume operations.

Ford said public safety remained the department's priority, stressing the importance of preventing potential accidents and ensuring the safety of worshippers.

Mohammad Fakhrul Islam Delwar, general secretary of the centre's board of trustees and executive committee, said work to install the sprinkler system had already been underway.

The management had expected the work to be completed within a week, but the closure order came before Friday prayers, he said.

Delwar added that construction was progressing and the management had been taking precautionary measures. He said no accident had occurred at the centre so far.

Expressing regret that worshippers could not attend Friday prayers at the centre, he said the authorities hoped to resume prayer activities within a week. In the meantime, regular worshippers were advised to attend nearby mosques.

The expansion project aims to increase space for prayers and religious education. Plans include moving the Hifz section from the second floor to the third, creating additional prayer space for around 180 worshippers, improving connections between the old and new sections of the building and installing a lift.

To raise funds for the remaining work, the centre organised a fundraising event on October 24, where it received donations and pledges totalling around $1 million.

sks