A community meeting has been set for Tuesday to discuss a plan to open an Islamic center in downtown Norton, which is causing quite an uproar in the city.
The plan by the Islamic Leadership Institute of America to open a community center had some citizens demanding during an Oct. 20 city council meeting that leaders stop the project from moving forward.
But the former Bank of America building that the institute aims to occupy is already zoned for several activities that appear to align with the organization’s stated plans. City officials say they will follow zoning and building occupancy regulations.
According to its website, the institute, based in Maryland, is a nonprofit founded in 2009 with a goal to “promote leadership development, education and research based on Islamic values and principles, through personalized experiential learning leadership programs.”
The institute announced on its website that it is holding an open house at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Norton, stating that the location will be provided to interested people once they register for the event.
Citizens peppered city council with concerns and questions
Local residents filled the city council chambers on Oct. 20, with more than a dozen people criticizing Islam and expressing opposition to plans for the facility in Virginia’s smallest city.
“A lot of people don’t understand what some of this Muslim, Islamic is,” Norton native James Powers said during the meeting’s public comment period. “Muslim is anti-Christ, and anti-Christ is anti-Jesus Christ.”
“This Islamic thing does not need to be in our communities around here,” he added. “It don’t even need to be in the country, as far as that goes.”
Powers and several other citizens called Islam a “cult.”
The first speaker during public comment was David Dotson, who advocated for politically progressive viewpoints. Dotson told council that others who would speak after him would present “a lot of propaganda” about Islam, adding, “Their ignorance is on full display on social media.”
Fewer than 1% of Muslims are extremists, Dotson said.
Islam has more than 1.8 billion followers worldwide, making it the world’s second-largest religion, after Christianity. Its Five Pillars are profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage, known in Arabic as hajj.
Before public comments began in Norton, Mayor Joe Fawbush read a statement noting that the city zoning administrator responded in writing Sept. 21 to a request for zoning information regarding 702 Park Ave. NW — the address for the former Bank of America building.
The property is zoned B-2 for central business district uses, which include churches; schools; libraries; recreation; offices; business or professional schools; print, radio and television operations; retail stores; manufacturing of products for retail sale; paid lodging; service industries; and similar activities. This zoning also allows for philanthropic uses with special permission through the zoning office.
Fawbush said the zoning response letter “was not a building permit, site-plan approval, certificate of occupancy or blanket authorization of every aspect of a future project … at this time, neither the Norton City Council, the Norton Board of Zoning Appeals, nor the Norton Planning Commission has been required to take any action concerning this matter.”
The mayor said city officials “will continue to apply its zoning requirements based on the explicit text of the applicable ordinance, the facts presented and the specific use or development proposed.”
Responding to Cardinal News questions by email, City Manager Jeff Shupe wrote, “City administration was aware of the organization’s interest in providing youth development and community services” in the region and that it was considering Norton as a location.
With a population of nearly 3,500, Norton sits in the middle of Wise County, a roughly 15-minute drive from the Kentucky border.
Shupe said that a private entity owns the building, that the city understands it will be sold to another private entity and that city officials have no authority to interfere.
The Islamic institute’s website includes a page highlighting a planned “Rural America Community Center” in Southwest Virginia. The page includes several exterior and interior photos of the former bank building in Norton.
The property is owned by Park Avenue Associates LLC. The corporation’s registered agent, local attorney Jeff Sturgill, declined comment on any matters involving the property.
The building is advertised for sale through a Wise County RE/MAX realty office. Personnel in that office also declined comment.
According to city tax records, the property’s value is assessed for taxation purposes at $499,500.
Islamic organization says it focuses on youth, community services
The Muslim population in the region is small.
The U.S. Religion Census, formally a federal government endeavor, is now conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Its 2020 census counted about 792 Muslims within a roughly 100-mile drive from Norton: 128 in Pike County, Kentucky; 244 in Washington County, Tennessee; 240 in Mercer County, West Virginia; and 180 in Raleigh County, West Virginia, all within the southern Appalachian coalfields.
There were no numbers for Muslims in far Southwest Virginia itself.
The Islamic house of worship closest to Norton is in Johnson City, Tennessee, about a 90-minute drive. It is run by the nonprofit Muslim Community of Northeast Tennessee.
On its website, the Islamic Leadership Institute of America states that it mainly serves youths ages 9 to 25, but it also serves older adults.
“Our services are open to all individuals, regardless of faith,” the website says. “In addition to our educational and research mission, we operate a Youth Crisis Line. It provides youth development and counseling services for ages 13-27 with support for youth suffering from substance abuse, homelessness, domestic challenges, academic suspension and unemployment.”
Further, the website states, the institute’s goal “is to develop a new breed of leaders, whose actions are driven by mercy for mankind and serving the Muslim and non-Muslim American population through our innovative and unique 6-cornerstone framework,” which includes leadership certifications and clubs; leadership-based tutoring; mentoring, coaching and counseling; community capacity-building projects; and internships.
The institute has a center in the city of Staunton, along with facilities in Baltimore, Ellicott City and Columbia, all in Maryland, and Dallas, Texas.
On its Southwest Virginia website page, along with photos of the former bank building, the institute states, “Southwest Virginia is home to resilient communities, rich culture and untapped potential, but it also faces real challenges: limited access to affordable housing, few youth development opportunities and a lack of inclusive spaces for growth and connection.”
The page includes tabs for education and youth programs, workforce development, family support and community services, food security and assistance, a worship and prayer space, community dialogue and outreach, and economic opportunity. But a click on any of the tabs simply directs the viewer to a donations page indicating that as of Oct. 22, $209,897 had been raised toward a $320,000 fundraising goal for the project.
The website also reports previous Southwest Virginia activities, including a November 2025 food drive at a Norton restaurant and February 2026 food distributions in the nearby Wise County towns of Big Stone Gap, Coeburn and St. Paul.
Attempts to reach the institute by phone and through its website were answered Sunday by founder Ayman Nassar, who, calling from a blocked phone number, left a voicemail saying he would respond to emailed questions. Cardinal News had not received answers to the questions by Monday night.
Nassar’s biography on the institute’s website states that he has more than 25 years of experience in enterprise architecture, enterprise and individual transformation, youth development, project/program management and systems engineering and architecture.
In August 2024, the Baltimore Sun reported that Nassar had resigned from Maryland’s Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention “following calls for the man’s removal from advocates alleging he is pro-Hamas.”
He was also accused of making anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-gay comments on social media.
On his LinkedIn page, Nassar called the criticism “a coordinated Islamophobic campaign of hate and online bullying.” He said that he had been targeted with “unfounded accusations and inflammatory language to silence voices that challenge certain political narratives” and that critics “have mischaracterized my work and affiliations.”
Over the weekend, plans for an open house Tuesday in Norton were announced on the institute’s website. It states that plans for the community center will be discussed, beginning at 7 p.m. The location would be disclosed once prospective attendees register for the event, it states.
A registration by Cardinal News was confirmed, but the location of the event had not been revealed by Monday night.
The confirmation email indicated that topics for the event will include an overview of the institute’s work; why citizens should trust the institute; upcoming events; how to join the organization; how to apply for financial aid; and how teens can get involved in leadership activities, internships and college preparatory activities. Attendees will also be able to “meet local Muslim community members,” it states.
You can find the institute’s website here.
