(RNS) — On the first night of Ramadan, worshippers stood shoulder to shoulder on rows of blue prayer rugs beneath the glow of string lights in a former elementary school gym in Lubbock, Texas.

Just weeks earlier, the building had been abandoned and in disrepair. 

Mohamad Altabaa, a third-year medical student at Texas Tech University, and his physician friend bought the former Arnett Elementary School  in January with an ambitious goal: open a mosque and community hub in 45 days, just in time for Ramadan. 

“It was in horrible condition,” he said, noting the building had been unused since 2024. “But I just had a feeling like we need to purchase it and turn it into a community center, to do good in the community.”

After purchasing the building, Altabaa took to Instagram to share the renovation process through a nine-part witty video series featuring volunteers and crews hauling debris, opening an underground water main and tackling a steady stream of odd jobs.  

“I just bought an elementary school, and that’s kind of crazy,” Altabaa said at the start of each video, all of which have since gone viral, with more than 1 million views and 100,000 likes on one video alone.

@mohamadaltabaaI just bought an elementary school♬ original sound – Mohamad Altabaa

What followed was a burst of grassroots support that grew beyond the West Texas city.

Young professionals from across the state and country came over several weekends to clean, paint walls, cut grass and prepare the center. Hundreds more donated to the renovation costs. 

And on Feb. 14, less than two months after Altabaa and his friend purchased the building, the Unity Center opened. 

Unlike many mosque projects in the United States that rely on large donors and community elders, the Unity Center was mostly powered by students and young professionals. 

“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,” she said.

After seeing one of the viral Instagram videos, Monisa Yusra, a 22-year-old from Chicago, flew in with eight women as part of her newly launched Khidma Club, a Muslim women’s travel group focused on service trips.

When she arrived on Valentines Day, Yusra was surprised to see nearly 180 other volunteers — dozens of whom also came from other states and even internationally. Over two days, they packed 30,000 meals for local shelters through the Islamic Relief Fund. Volunteers also put finishing touches on the center by vacuuming, painting and hanging up artwork mailed in by supporters. 

“They didn’t feel like strangers,” Yusra said. “We met all of these people building this beautiful community, and it was really hard to leave them.”

 An online fundraiser has raised close to $100,000 for immediate renovation costs, such as fixing water leaks, restoring electricity and polishing the gym floors. The nonprofit MSA Unity, which supports Muslim student associations in the U.S., is managing the renovation funds.  The property purchase price, which Altabaa declined to say, was covered by his friend, the doctor. The property was listed for $350,000 in 2023 and was appraised at $724,845 in 2025. 

The community in Lubbock has pitched in, too, including a hotel donating 20 rooms for volunteers and a cleaning company giving 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 one of the earliest volunteers. “People are just drawn to that, and then also the fact that (Altabaa) is doing it from an authentic standpoint.”

The outpouring of support has felt like “a beautiful miracle,” Altabaa said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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But as word of the Unity Center spread across the country, right-wing conspiracies also took root. Anti-Muslim campaigner Amy Mek’s Rise Align Ignite Reclaim (RAIR) Foundation made videos targeting Altabaa and likened the center to a sinister “Islamic takeover” plot, an oft-repeated Islamophobic trope. Locally, pushback has been confined to Facebook comments. 

“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 said. 

The former school is in a residential community, and volunteers have made a point of going door to door, inviting neighbors for a barbecue and other events. It’s an intentional effort, Altabaa said, to break down barriers between Muslims and the surrounding community. 

“People come to the Unity Center expecting Muslims to be these angry people who are gonna, like, fight them,” Altabaa said. “And they’re like, ‘oh my god, we didn’t know you Muslims were chill.’” 

Since opening, the center has hosted nightly Taraweeh prayers, an open-invite Iftar dinner and religious programming. There also has been plenty of fun, with late-night hangouts, a soft-serve machine, a coffee cart and a soon-to-be-ready soccer field made of former turf from Texas Tech Football’s practice field. 

And organizers say they have other plans for the center, which sits on 5.8 acres of land. Altabaa is in talks with the South Plains Food Bank to set up a food distribution hub and also hopes to open a clinic, school, 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 Muslims, we’re not here just to pray. We’re here to also help others, to give back to the community.”