Historic Christian church in Connecticut to be converted into mosque

A historic Georgian-Revival style Christian church built in the 1920s has been sold to a Muslim organization that plans to convert the structure into a mosque.

The United Congregational Church (UCC) of Bridgeport, Connecticut announced on Monday that it is selling the church to Bridgeport Islamic Community Center (BICC) for $1 million, The Wall Street Journal reports. The two groups will also jointly organize community programs, such as a soup kitchen and a shelter for the homeless, on the property.

The United Congregational Church was founded in 1695 as the Ecclesiastical Society of Stratfield. In 1916, it formed United Congregational Church with another congregation and had a total of 3,000 members. Rev. Sara Smith shared, on a post on the group's Facebook page, that their membership has gone down to 300, and they have been keeping the church beyond their means for several years now. Smith added that this has led to their decision to sell the church and find a new home that is a better match for their congregation's current size and needs.

"This agreement with BICC is United Congregational Church's opportunity to preserve this beautiful building, see it maintained and used as a House of Prayer, and move forward as partners in serving the community," Smith wrote.

UCC will temporarily relocate to the Bessemer Center in North Avenue in May as they hunt for a new home.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Ebrahim, leader of BICC, told WSJ that the church is a good purchase for their organization's need for a mosque because it was designed to accommodate religious activities and large enough to cater to the 1,000 Muslim families in the area.

The Connecticut church is just one of the many other churches in the United States that have been sold and converted into mosques.

In Europe, many Christian houses of worship are also being bought by Muslim organizations. Unlike the Connecticut church, however, many of these churches had not been used for Christian assemblies for years prior to being sold. Last year, for example, Swiss artist Christian Büchel converted the ancient Catholic Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, which had not been used for more than 40 years, into a mosque.

Last year, Dalil Boubakeur, a Muslim leader in France, suggested that empty Catholic churches be turned into mosques to support the large Muslim community in the country.