The entire community of Masjid Usman Center of Religious Tolerance, a small mosque in the Lemon Grove area of San Diego County serving mostly low-income immigrants from Somalia , was hooked by the apparent sincerity of Ricardo C. Aguilar, owner and operator of A+ Landscape and Design Company of San Marcos, California.  For the last five years, the mosque had been under heavy pressure from the city of Lemon Grove to remodel and comply with city building codes.  The situation had become desperate and Aguilar claimed to have recently taken shahadah and to hold a valid state contractors license, mosque officials said.  Moreover, he was highly recommended by the Imam of a nearby Islamic Center.

Based mainly on this personal recommendation, a contract was signed in May 2007 and Aguilar’s company agreed to complete the entire remodel by July 2007.  Aguilar was paid $30,000 in advance, but soon began asking for more cash.  July passed and though Aguilar had begun tearing down the old structure, he was nowhere close to beginning the reconstruction.  He claimed to have underestimated costs and told the mosque that he’d need more cash in order to proceed further.  Eventually, an additional $8,000 would be handed over to him, while less and less work was being performed.  By August 4, the facility was in shambles and Aguilar and his crew were nowhere to be found and would not return their many phone calls, according to mosque officials.

“Mr. Aguilar left the place a total mess,” says Dr. Abussattar Shaikh, founder and current chairman of Masjid Usman.  “The place was in much better condition before he came.  He removed the asphalt from the parking lot and left the iron cables protruding, left debris everywhere, left an unprotected six-foot trench exposed, which is very dangerous, and he left live electrical wires dangling in a corner, exposed.”

Shaikh also said Aguilar stole several pieces of the mosque’s previously purchased equipment, such as ladders and chain link for a planned fence. Mosque officials tried reaching Aguilar for months, but to no avail.  It was then that the truth came to light.

Aguilar’s license had been suspended the same year due to complaints and citations arising from his failure to comply with bond payouts, and workers compensation. investigations into his business practices were pending. The Muslims of Lemon Grove realized that they had been taken by a scam artist and were devastated. They had to raise another $25,380 to pay an interim contractor to repair the damage Aguilar had caused to the parking lot alone.

To make things worse, a subcontractor who was supposed to have been paid by Aguilar for supplies, filed a lien against the masjid for non-payment, forcing the community to have to raise another $35,000 to avoid the lien.

Though the San Diego District Attorney’s office, law enforcement, and the State Contractors Licensing Board have been notified, nothing can be done because Aguilar’s bond and other insurances were all cancelled at the time his contractor’s license was suspended.

Aguilar has not replied to any phone calls, letters, or requests for a statement.

The situation for Masjid Usman is now bleak.  Though another contractor has stepped up to complete the remodeling, the community’s funds are thoroughly tapped, Mosque officials admit.  Remaining mosque assets total up to only $4,000, they say.  To complete the construction before Ramadan, a goal everyone at the center would love to see happen, another $50,000 is needed.

“Many of the sisters in the community pawned their jewelry and donated what they had to help the mosque originally,” says Mikail Al-Amin, a member of the masjid steering committee.  “Many people are frustrated that nothing was done. We’re a poor community. We gave everything we had.”

Dr. Shaikh and the members of the community have learned a valuable lesson in trust, but at a terrible cost.  They are now praying that generous Muslims in other communities will come forward and donate whatever they can to help save the mosque..

If you would like to assist, contact:
Masjid Usman  Center for Religious Tolerance
7126 Westview Place, Lemon Grove , CA 91945
(619) 667-8700
E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it