POCATELLO — Pocatello’s new mosque will host its first prayer meeting Friday, kicking off a weekend of Islamic holy days, gatherings and celebrations — all open to the public.

    The Islamic Society of Southeastern Idaho will conduct the building’s first prayer at 1:20 p.m. Friday in Arabic. The second prayer at 2:30 p.m. will be in English.

    The new mosque is located at 1513 S. Fifth Avenue.

    According to General Secretary for the Islamic Society of Eastern Idaho, Daniel Hummel, both Muslims and members of other faiths are invited to the prayers.

    Locals of other faiths who want to know what a Muslim prayer service looks like can observe from the office, which adjoins the prayer room, Hummel said.

    “Every event that we have is open to the public,” Hummel said.

    At 7 p.m., Friday, the society will host a potluck dinner at the same location, opening up a weekend-long celebration of Eid-al-Adha. The second of two annual Eid holidays celebrates, in part, the scriptural figure Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.

    “People will be there from all over the world,” Hummel said. “We have some from Libya, Pakistan, Saudi [Arabia], Sudan, Egypt … that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.”

    Saturday, the center will host 7 a.m. prayers.

    Sunday, the celebration of Eid will continue at the Idaho State University student union ballroom. That dinner is hosted by the ISU Saudi Student Organization and costs $3 per person. Children 12 and under are free.

    Finally, Hummel added that those interested in learning about Islam can also tune into public access channel 12 every Monday at 5 p.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m. for the Islamic Society of Eastern Idaho’s new half-hour TV program. The first episode is Monday.

    “Once we finish this [mosque] project we will be doing more in the community,” Hummel said. “We want to have a more direct impact with social activism. We want to benefit the community and not have members who pray and then go home and do nothing.”