HAMTRAMCK — Where machines once hummed in Hamtramck, Muslims may soon pray.

Hamtramck, a heavily Polish Catholic community where the

, has seen religious and cultural clashes as the Bangladeshi immigrant and other Muslim populations have grown.

More than 40 percent of Hamtramck residents were foreign-born in 2010,

Much of the public debate surrounded the issue of mosques playing a call to prayer, the "Adhan," over loud speakers five times a day as required under religious guidelines.

In 2004,

to its noise ordinance to allow playing of the call to prayer.

A group "supervised" by Abdulrahman Bin Muhammad Al-Omaisan is in the process of

that is currently part of the shuttered American Axle Manufacturing Plant located in Hamtramck and Detroit along Interstate 75 at Holbrook.

"We hope to close within the next few weeks," said Brent Beshears, a real estate agent for Colliers International, the company selling the property.

The listing price is $472,000. Planners issued flyers in recent weeks asking for donations to offset the cost.

"Many of the (mosques) are not fulfilling their legislated obligation, we have decided to establish a complete Islamic center in Detroit, Michigan and name it Abu-Bakr As-Siddeeq Islamic Center," the pamphlet says. "We have named it after the best of the Companions — may Allah be pleased with them — because Allah has obligated us to follow them, be upon their guidance and remain steadfast upon their way."

The two-story building with blue metal siding and no windows at 8904 St. Aubin in Hamtramck is bordered to the west by the plant.

American Axle purchased most of the surrounding lots about a decade ago and demolished the homes that once claimed them.

Four homes still share the same block as the proposed Islamic Center to the east.

At least two nearby neighbors, both who declined to provide their names, said they have concerns, mostly about the Islamic call to prayer, which issues five times a day.

"I don't want to hear noise all day," said one neighbor living near the proposed site.

Another neighbor declined to give an opinion on record, saying, "I don't like those people," as he walked off.

Developers have not responded to MLive Detroit requests for comment.

Two brothers — Munir Hadwan, 19; and Moosa Hadwan, 28 — 15-plus-year residents of two homes their families own on Lumpkin, live a baseball's throw from the building.

Both of them Muslims, they are happy to hear the news.

The call to prayer "doesn't bother me," said Moosa Hadwan. "We hear the bell for the church when it goes off; that doesn't bother us, so I don't know why that would be an issue."

"It's like two minutes, max," said Munir Hadwan, 19. "Mostly in this area, there's a lot of Muslims. It's freedom of religion, first of all."

The brothers expect news of the new Islamic center, should the sale be finalized, to travel fast throughout the Muslim community.

The complex that last housed American Axle has operated nearly 90 years.

A group of investors headed by Richard Dauch, a former Chrysler executive, purchased the plant from General Motors in 1994 to manufacture steering linkages and front and rear axles.

American Axle became a public company in 1999 and the Detroit Manufacturing Complex in Hamtramck had as many as several thousand employees.

It closed the Detroit Manufacturing Complex and laid off the 300 workers at that facility in February.

American Axle currently operates 33 facilities with over 10,000 employees worldwide.

The building is currently zoned for industrial use.

The remainder of the 2.4 million-square-foot plant, most of which lies in Detroit, can also be had for $18.5 million, Beshears says.

So far there have been no offers, according to Beshears.

The below video is a recording of a call to prayer from a Hamtramck Mosque recorded in 2010: