This week's arrest of five Lodi men by the FBI is the latest episode in the internal dissension that has rocked Lodi's Muslim community for more than a year.

About 200 people gathered over the weekend at Blakely Park to mark Pakistan's Independence Day with a picnic and barbecue.

The Lodi Muslim Mosque is facing more legal battles. In the latest action, a group of disgruntled members who are angry at the current mosque leadership served a petition demanding mosque president Mohammed Shoaib hold elections.

The Lodi Muslim Mosque is joining Muslims throughout the world in celebrating Ramadan, Islam's holy month, which started on Aug. 22.

Pakistani-Americans from Lodi welcomed the news of Pervez Musharraf's resignation as Pakistan's president.

A San Joaquin County judge has ruled to leave the Lodi Muslim Mosque in the hands of its current leaders, ending a months-long lawsuit between two groups vying for control of the city's only mosque.

STOCKTON -- It appeared to be a routine planning matter Thursday, one that would normally put everyone to sleep.

A Stockton judge on Friday postponed a ruling in a lawsuit between two feuding factions of the Lodi Muslim Mosque, pending historical documents that might clarify rightful leadership of the organization.

Lodi's architectural review committee signed off Monday on a proposal to expand the mosque's prayer area by 1,455 square feet, moving the project one step forward.

Earlier this week, Muslims throughout the nation cast their gazes to the night sky, spying the first thin crescent of a new moon, the official sign that Ramadan had begun.

After six years as president of the Lodi Muslim Mosque, Mohammad Shoaib has turned over the reigns to Khan Afsar, a newcomer to the mosque board. Afsar took over as president on Aug. 1.

Tensions among leaders at the Lodi Muslim Mosque have escalated to the point where the mosque has sued its former imam -- in essence the pastor -- and two former mosque presidents.

As they consider a use permit on Thursday to allow for an Islamic school and worship center in south Lodi, the San Joaquin County Planning Commissioners may become embroiled in a major power struggle among Muslims in the community.

When Lodi Pakistanis learned of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on Saturday, they immediately tried to call loved ones on the phone. But no one answered.

For the first time in 33 years, calendars used by Jews and Muslims have coincided to mark the beginning of holy seasons Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan within hours of one another.

Mohammed Shoaib looked over a city of Lodi document on redevelopment before Friday prayers at the Lodi Muslim Mosque.

After just two weeks, the trial imam at the Lodi Muslim Mosque has left after a disagreement over the financial terms of a possible contract.

Traditionally, the city of Lodi's Community Service Award goes to an individual who has made a significant difference to the city.

Before Friday, the only thing Hafiz Baqi knew about the FBI was what he saw on TV. He had seen news footage of FBI agents roaming around Lodi with big guns and bullet proof vests during the 2005 terrorism investigation.

In little more than one hour, the San Joaquin County Planning Commission plucked Farooqia Islamic Center from the dim realm of unrealized plans by giving its seal of approval Thursday to the building of an Islamic school off South Lower Sacramento Road.

When Osama bin Laden was killed in May, Bushra Salem remembers overhearing a Tokay High student yelling “Your leader’s dead” to a Pakistani-American girl.

Citing concerns about noise, aesthetics and privacy for neighboring residents, the San Joaquin County Planning Commission postponed for two months a decision on whether an Islamic center should be built in south Lodi.

Ahmad Hashimi rests on a couch in a comfortable, cream-colored robe. His feet are bare, and a black cylindrical hat sits atop his head hiding his straight dark hair that is flecked with gray.