[1] El-Gamal was born in Brooklyn, New York[2] to an Egyptian Muslim father and a Roman Catholic mother of Polish descent on December 23, 1973.
El-Gamal returned to the United States for college, enrolling in various New York universities but eventually dropping out when he decided to stop pursuing formal education.
El-Gamal said, "We're in the process of buying one of the last untouched corners of Times Square... with an opportunity to secure the future of a synagogue that will serve the Jewish community for decades to come.
[14] However, as of March 2023 the tower remains unfinished and subject to a Stop Work Order from the NYC Department of Buildings dating from 2019 due to the contractor of record withdrawing from the project.
[16][17] Shortly after the purchase of 45–47 Park Place, the property became an active overflow prayer space for the followers of a mosque located in TriBeCa.
[6] In May 2010, plans by El-Gamal to develop the property into a $100 million, 13 story Islamic community center and prayer space ignited national controversy given the building's proximity to Ground Zero.
"[20] In 2014, El-Gamal said that on that site he now intended to construct a smaller, three-story museum "dedicated to exploring the faith of Islam and its arts and culture" at the same location.