So begins Mohamad Altabaa’s viral Instagram video. When he unlocks the door and ushers us in, the abandoned elementary school’s eerie interior comes into view. It is “kinda creepy”: trash-littered floors, a bed and box spring in what may have once been a classroom, a chapel painted a preposterous eggplant hue—all spread across a 6-acre campus of dirt and dead grass.
Despite the daunting scene, Altabaa, a third-year med student at Texas Tech University, set himself an ambitious goal: to open a mosque and community hub in just 45 days—in time for the first night of Ramadan, February 17.
“People come to the Unity Center expecting Muslims to be these angry people who are gonna fight them. And they’re like, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t know you Muslims were chill.’”
When he and a friend bought the former Arnett Elementary School in Lubbock, Texas, in January, they knew what they were getting into. “Kinda crazy,” he says, describing his impossible dream. “It was in horrible condition.” But with a lot of help from his new friends—scores of volunteers from across Texas, the country and the world—the Unity Center is officially open and bustling.
On Ramadan’s first night, the renovated chapel brimmed with worshippers.
Traditionally, building a mosque and community center involves seeking large donors and support from established leaders. But, as the saying goes, a good idea grows wings. In this case, viral videos and volunteers under 30 galvanized the project. Young professionals who had seen Altabaa’s videos on Instagram soon arrived in Lubbock from all over to clean, paint, restore and decorate the former school. Nearly 200 volunteers from across Texas and beyond came to help; hundreds more donated toward renovation costs.
The Lubbock community also chipped in. A local hotel donated 20 rooms for volunteers, and a cleaning company provided supplies.
“I think people are able to recognize something when it’s rooted in good intentions, and when someone has a vision and they passionately express it,” said Ayah Al-Rahawan, a Texas Tech senior who was among the first volunteers. “People are just drawn to that, and then also the fact that [Altabaa] is doing it from an authentic standpoint.”
Now, what was once “kinda crazy” is now “a beautiful miracle,” Altabaa said.
But, as occasionally happens, one community’s miracle is another’s menace. As word of the Unity Center spread across the country, so did bigoted conspiracies. Anti-Muslim campaigner Amy Mek’s Rise Align Ignite Reclaim (RAIR) Foundation USA released videos attacking Altabaa and accusing the center of being part of a sinister “Islamic takeover” plot.
“I tell these people: Come to the Unity Center. We have no motive. We have no deeper ‘agendas.’ I’m literally just a third-year med student who is just trying to give back to the community,” Altabaa responded.
The volunteers have reflected that spirit—going door-to-door, inviting neighbors to barbecues and late-night hangouts. A soft serve machine dispenses frozen yogurt, ice cream or gelato to anyone who wants it, and a coffee cart is in constant use.
In two days, volunteers packed 30,000 meals for local shelters.
“People come to the Unity Center expecting Muslims to be these angry people who are gonna fight them,” Altabaa said. “And they’re like, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t know you Muslims were chill.’”
“It’s pretty much just young people under 30 years old,” said Aditee Zinzuwadia, a Texas Tech University student who helped coordinate flights, hotels, rides and meals for 30 out-of-town volunteers during opening weekend.
“I think a lot of the time, especially students, we feel as though we don’t really have as much of an impact. But with this center, we’ve really been pushing for students to do whatever they can, come whenever they can, and that’s been a big reason why a lot of people have been wanting to help out,” Zinzuwadia said.
Beyond the mosque itself, Altabaa has plans—lots of plans. A soccer field is nearly ready, thanks to turf donated from Texas Tech football’s practice field. A permanent food distribution hub is in the works, coordinated with the South Plains Food Bank. And the young entrepreneur is also blueprinting a clinic, a school, a community garden and more.
“Our religion teaches us that the best of people are those who can benefit others,” Altabaa said. “I am taking that philosophy to show that [as] Muslims, we’re not here just to pray. We’re here to also help others, to give back to the community.”
