By Yvette Harding —
A predicted 100,000 churches will close in coming years in America, and Christians are worried they might be sold to Muslim groups — as was done in Connecticut (and elsewhere).
In 2014, the Christ Episcopal Church of Avon was sold for $1.1M to be converted into a mosque.
Just two year later, the historic United Congregational Church of Bridgeport was sold to the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center for $1M.
Who is financing the pricey purchases? Saudis have lavished $10B several times over in mosque construction since the 1970s. Qatar funds community centers and initiatives also with a huge wallet.
Iran, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, via a bank, disbursed $7.7 million to finance “CAIR Plaza,” a residential and commercial development in Washington, D.C., designed to provide the Council on American-Islamic Relations with rental income for decades, a Middle East Forum investigation found.
So while oil money can be blamed, it also must be noted that devout Muslims actually pay tithes, unlike many Christians.
But financing aside, a more sinister question is why would the owners of churches not instead sell them at a cheaper price to rising new congregations? Ultimately, it is the decision of the board or trustees to sell or not. You can get more money from a mosque (or a developer) or you can get less money and conserve the church as a church.
Multiple sources attribute the 100K church closure estimate the National Council of Churches, perhaps based on the predicted closure of 15,000 in 2026.
Of churches shuttered and sold, it is not known how many have become mosques because it appears that no central agency collects that data. But here is an incomplete list:
- Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd of Binghamton, NY, became the Islamic Awareness Center (Masjid Al-Tawheed) in 2011.
- United Methodist Church of Walden, NY, became Jam-e-Masjid Walden, in 2022.
- Queen of Peace Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, NY, became Jami Masjid Buffalo.
- United Methodist Church of Utica, NY, became Bosnian Islamic Association Utica.
- Parkside Presbyterian Church of Queens, NY, became Muslim American Society of Queens .
- Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Syracuse, NY became a mosque after the parish closed.
- A former Catholic church and school of South Milwaukee, WI became a mosque and community center.
- Houston, Texas – Several Muslim congregations have acquired former church buildings. One well-known example is the historic African American Muslim community that converted a former Christian Science church into a mosque.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Former church properties have been acquired for mosque use, including the historic Germantown area.
Some churches get sold to Hindus, commercial developers, offices, schools and restaurants.
“Selling off Catholic Churches to Islam to convert it into a Mosque borders Blasphemy and Stupidity!” wrote an X user, as quoted by Raymond Ibrahim.
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