New mosque coming to Rancho Mirage, unanimous vote by planning commission
Daniella Lake
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – The City of Rancho Mirage unanimously approved a new mosque to occupy 69640 Highway 111. It’ll be the first mosque on the western side of the Coachella Valley.
“This building was once a restaurant, but now it has a chance to serve as something even more meaningful. A place of tranquility, a place that strengthens community ties, and a place that will add to the diversity and the spirit of the city,” says Dr. Iyoob Ilyas, a surgeon at Eisenhower hospital.
Dr. Llyas and other muslim doctors from Eisenhower brought forth the idea to have a mosque in Rancho Mirage. Dr. Llyas says that he used to drive all the way to the mosque in Coachella for daily prayer before he and his colleagues started using the interfaith chapel at the hospital.
The facility will be named the Islamic Society of the Desert. According to their website, they will offer daily prayers, dedicated spaces for women and children, Arabic classes and more. Their website also says they’re hoping to raise $2 million for the mosque, right now they’re 32% of the way there.
“I feel very strongly that the Muslim community needs to expand and feel comfortable here…I really want us to think for a moment, has any house of worship ever done anything but good for a community?,” said one passionate attendee of the planning commission meeting.
The mosque will be in between a Christian church and the Jewish Federation of the Desert. Some community members expressed concerns amid tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities due to the war in Gaza.
“We love Muslims and everybody else. That’s not the issue. The issue is what kind of problem are we creating If we put a mosque right there where they want it? Next to the [Jewish] federation in one of the busiest intersections in the valley,” said rancho mirage resident, Rick Stein.
The city hasn’t announced the plans to open the new mosque outside of the planning commission meeting. Minor updates to the building and landscaping are already underway.