Michael Consoli reports that the leadership of Dar-ul-Islam, a New Jersey mosque, has successfully petitioned for a permit to hold a collective prayer for “the soul of America” on Capitol Hill later this month:

Islam on Capitol HillA permit from the U.S. Capitol Police, granted July 28, allows access to the area by the West Front of the Capitol from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 25, but the main gathering will occur at 1 p.m., for the Friday prayer service.

Abdellah said he hopes to draw 50,000 attendees from mosques around the country, though non-Muslims are welcome, too. About 400 people are expected from his own mosque, which is raising money from donors to help pay the cost of the event, expected to surpass $200,000.

The gathering will occur by the site where presidents have been inaugurated since 1981. In fact, it was President Obama’s words at his inauguration in January, and then his speech in Egypt in June, that led Abdellah and another local imam, Abdul Malik, to begin discussing the idea, Abdellah said.

Read the complete article here.