Islamic Center asks City of Cape to combine lots for future rebuild

Cape Girardeau’s Planning and Zoning Commission has given unanimous approval to join together three lots at the behest of the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau, P&Z chairman Bruce Skinner said.

The commission voted 8-0 to recommend to the City Council three adjoining lots along West End Boulevard, all zoned C-1 (general commercial), be combined.

The council must give its consent to the P&Z endorsement before the lots may be consolidated. City staff has not placed the matter of combining the lots on the City Council’s agenda for consideration, according to municipal officials.

The center’s mosque, at 298 N. West End Blvd., was destroyed by fire April 24, and the request to approve the Al-Noor (“light” in Arabic) subdivision record plat is a preliminary step toward allowing the Islamic Center to rebuild.

The current Islamic Center structures already span the three lots, but new construction cannot cross lot lines, according to city ordinance.

The alleged arsonist, Nicholas J. Proffitt of Cape Girardeau, was arrested for the blaze that gutted the building, which has since been condemned.

Proffitt, who is facing three felony charges, one enhanced as a hate crime, previously was sentenced to prison in 2009 for property damage at the same mosque.

“The plan is to demolish the (old) mosque and build anew,” said Dr. Tahsin Khalid, the mosque’s imam, who added because of limited space, only men are gathering for prayer currently.

Because of COVID-19, the nearly 20 families of the mosque have not been meeting for public worship, although they have been assembling in an adjacent building for prayer, according to Khalid.

Khalid said the mosque community wants to stay on its current site.

“Being close to the university, close to Southeast (Missouri State University), is very important to us,” he added.

A spot check of a GoFundMe page set up in the wake of the blaze shows $182,165 in pledges thus far to the Islamic Center for its planned rebuild. The fundraising goal is set at $650,000.