A newly built mosque has opened in Nashville just in time for the holy month of Ramadan.

The cream-colored brick building with brown accents and a maroon dome on its roof is nestled along Charlotte Pike. It is the second mosque location of the Islamic Center of Nashville, which is known for its flagship house of worship in the 12South neighborhood.

The new building is a focal point of the Islamic center's roughly 11-acre campus in Bellevue.

Rashed Fakhruddin, a member of the Islamic center's board of trustees, stood on the plush tan carpet in the main prayer space recounting the decades-old vision that made the house of worship a reality.

"It's a dream," said Fakhruddin, about a week after the mid-April grand opening.

The new mosque is expected to soon see an influx of visitors for Ramadan. The 30 days of prayer and fasting starts Sunday for many. Muslims tend to frequent mosques during the holy month for prayer and communal fast breaking.

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"We were hoping last Ramadan it would be ready," said Fakhruddin, who is also the director of community partnerships for the Islamic Center of Nashville. "So this was like OK we've got to get this done before Ramadan and so thank God it finished just in time so people are excited to come here and pray."

Growth in Bellevue calls for new mosque

The $2.5 million mosque project has been a part of the Islamic Center of Nashville's master plan for more than 20 years, Fakhruddin said. But building Nashville International Academy, the school next door to the new mosque building, took higher priority, he said. And as other mosques popped up around Nashville, it became less urgent to build another worship space from the ground up.

"This was actually brought about due to the demand that was out there for a mosque in this area because families began to move here," Fakhruddin said. "After so many years, the Muslim population has grown everywhere and Bellevue is one of those growing areas."

It is estimated that the Nashville area is home to about 40,000 Muslims with the majority of them living in the southeastern part of the city, he said.

The opening of the new mosque brings a sense of celebration to the Muslim community, but also within to the greater Nashville community, Imam Ossama Bahloul, the resident scholar of the Islamic Center of Nashville, said.

"It's not only an asset for the Muslim community, but we feel that it is an contribution to our city," Bahloul said. "We envision our city having beautiful churches, synagogues, mosques and it's a part of our diversity."

No opposition, unlike in other communities

The construction of the new mosque in Bellevue saw none of the opposition some projects have seen elsewhere in Middle Tennessee and beyond. In 2010, a group of county residents sued to stop the construction of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's new mosque. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro ultimately prevailed in the court battle.

"We didn't have to go through what they went through," Fakhruddin said.

Bahloul, the imam of the Murfreesboro mosque during the court fight, said it was a tough time, but it showed him the importance of friendship, reaching out and loving everyone.

"Some people went out of their way to show us support and I continue cherish that," Bahloul said. "We must not allow a small group of people with a vocal voice to contaminate our environment. The majority of the people are wonderful."

Although it didn't face opposition, the construction of the Bellevue mosque also showed Bahloul the importance of loving all people, he said.

"I hope we can speak with each other more often instead of speaking about each other," Bahloul said. "The number of people that reached out to us after Bellevue from the Nashville area is really phenomenal. Everyone is excited and happy for us."

Now that the doors are open in Bellevue, details about the management of the mosque and whether an imam will be brought on to specifically serve the Bellevue location still need to be figured out, Fakhruudin said.

Islamic center leadership also is accepting feedback from the Muslim community to figure out what if anything needs to be tweaked regarding the day-to-day use of the building, he said.

And this is not the last of the construction projects at the Bellevue campus. Islamic center leadership hopes to finish the basement of the new building and add on a gymnasium at some point in the future. They also have plans to remodel the 12South location.

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.