Source: Poughkeepsie Journal

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050829/NEWS01/508290317/1006

On August 29, 2005 the Poughkeepsie Journal reported, "As more Muslim families have made the mid-Hudson Valley their home, the crowd at Masjid Al Ikhlas has swelled at Friday prayer services. With almost 500 members, the tiny mosque is no longer large enough to support its growing congregation and plans have been made to double its size. On Sunday, local Muslims celebrated their plans for a larger mosque with a groundbreaking ceremony and picnic. Mosque leaders handed their shovels to the youngest worshippers, deferring to them to break the ground... The initial phase of construction will more than double the mosque's size to 6,750 square feet, including a large dome based on a mold made for the Masjid Al-Noor in Wappingers Falls, Rehman said... Along with its religious functions, members envision its use as a meeting place and community hall, as well as a soup kitchen for the needy — both Muslim and non-Muslim — in the immediate Newburgh area."