Bowing to Mecca from Caracas.

• Author: Luxner, Larry
• Position: Caracas, Venezuela; Mecca, Saudi Arabia

That familiar Muslim call to prayer, a trademark of Middle Eastern capitals from Baghdad to Beirut, will soon be heard throughout downtown Caracas - from atop the largest mosque ever built in Latin America. The Mezquita Ibrahim bin Abdul-Aziz Ibrahimi, named after the wealthy Saudi philanthropist backing the project, is located on busy Avenida Libertador, across from the headquarters of CANTV, Venezuela's national phone company.

Once the mosque is completed in December, more than 10,000 Muslims will fit in its sprawling sanctuary, and tourists of all religions will be able to visit the imposing landmark. Its minaret alone measures 100 meters - the height of a 20-story building. Hassan Majzoub, president of the Centro Islamico de Venezuela, says the Caracas mosque is even bigger than Sao Paulo's 30-year-old Mezquita del Estado, currently South America's largest.

A Palestinian shopkeeper who came to Venezuela in 1970, Majzoub estimates the country now has about 200,000 Muslims - mainly Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian immigrants like himself, with a sprinkling of East Indian Muslims from Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. "If you include Christian Arabs, the number goes up to 500,000," he said, adding that "nearly all the Arabs here are clothing and furniture merchants." In addition, Venezuela has two prominent politicians of Arab origin: Henry Ramos Alub of Accion Democratica and Douglas Dager of the opposition COPEI party.

As a founding member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Venezuela maintains excellent ties with the Arab world and as a result, boasts a large Arab diplomatic community. "Venezuela is a democratic country," Majzoub said. "We've never had problems with freedom of religion. The Muslims here aren't fanatics. We're very modern."

The religious leader estimated the Muslim population of Caracas at around 15,000, with other important communities in Valencia, Maracaibo, Tigre and Isla Margarita. There are six Islamic centers in the country offering beginning classes in Arabic and Koran, including one located along a quiet street in the Caracas suburb of El Paraiso.

But the new Mezquita Ibrahim bin Abdul-Aziz Ibrahimi, built on the pattern of mosques in Saudi Arabia, dwarfs them all. Designed by Caracas...