OREM — Utah County isn't exactly lacking in church buildings — chapels frequented by members of the LDS Church can be found on practically every corner.

Until recently, however, Lindon resident Usama Baioumy had to travel to a Salt Lake mosque to practice his faith, Islam.

Baioumy talked about the lack of a mosque when he was interviewed for a newspaper story about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and a man came forward to offer him a space to rent.

Thus was born the first and only mosque in Utah County.

For four weeks in October and November, Baioumy and other Utah County Muslims gathered in the mosque at 1105 S. Orem Blvd. to offer prayer during Ramadan, the monthlong religious holiday observed by millions of Muslims around the world.

The mosque may be a simple room, but it is a gathering place for some 50 Muslims who live in 360,000-resident Utah County. Nearly all of them are students at Brigham Young University or Utah Valley State College.

Baioumy is a rarity — he's a permanent Utah County resident and a practicing Muslim. A few other nonstudent Muslims live in the county temporarily, working here as physicians.

Baioumy sees it as his responsibility to help meet the spiritual needs of the small community.

"I am almost the only (permanent Muslim resident) here, so I take the responsibility to maintain the mosque for the community," he said.

Bashar Sader, a Palestinian and one of the Muslim students who attend BYU, said he's grateful to have a more convenient place to worship.

"Before we had the mosque in Orem, it was very difficult to go on a daily basis, or even a weekly basis," he said. "But now, I go to mosque almost on a daily basis, and our Friday prayers we hold at BYU, in a room that the school provides. Even those who don't go to the mosque on a daily basis, it's just nice to have the feeling that you have a place to go to when you feel like you need a spiritual feast."

Baioumy tries to make Muslim students feel more at home during Ramadan.

"We try to invite the students as much as we can, because they are lonely without their families," he said. "Ramadan in Egypt, everything changes around you. When you walk out in the street, none of the restaurants are open in the morning. Here, we try to do it with our friends, on the weekends, and do a potluck kind of thing."

Sader said he gets a lot of questions from non-Muslim students while he is observing Ramadan.

"They want to learn why I'm fasting, how long I fast, what kind of food I eat when I break the fast — they want to learn more about my culture and my tradition," he said.