The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

History of Center

The new Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) is the third expansion of The Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) since 1981. In the late eighties the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) set aside the area in Roxbury for a religious and cultural center. After unsuccessful applications from several other mosques to construct a center at the site, the ISB was sold the land and undertook the project in the early nineties. In November 2002 the ISB broke ground in Roxbury at an onsite ceremony attended by government leaders such as Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston City Councilman Chuck Turner, U.S. Representative Michael E. Capuano and religious leaders such as Bishop Filipe Teixeira and Imam Talal Eid, then representing the Islamic Center of New England. Upon completion of the ISB Cultural Center, the ISB mosque on Prospect Street in Cambridge will remain open, coming together with the Roxbury center for events and holidays such as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.

The demographics of the ISB have shifted over the years and will continue to change upon completion of the cultural center. The ISB started with a largely Arab population but its membership has grown to become remarkably diverse. At any given Friday Jum'a prayer service, it is estimated that twenty-seven different ethnicities are represented. When the ISBCC is completed, the large African-American and African Muslim populations already present in Roxbury will likely affect the demographics of the ISBCC. It is also anticipated that people who are not currently affiliated with any particular mosque will be attracted to the ISBCC.

The ISB has faced several challenges during the design and construction process. One was financing the center; this project is unlike any Islamic center or mosque undertaking in New England in its size and facilities and those who began the effort did not foresee its enormity. The cost is well over 20 million dollars and the Islamic prohibition against paying interest precludes traditional financing options. After 9/11 the ISB had to focus many of its personnel resources to counter the anti-Muslim backlash which affected Muslims across the country. However, the largest handicap to the construction process was the more than 3 years of legal battles and media controversy over the new complex. Starting in 2002, allegations were made against the ISB over the sale of government property for the cultural center as well as alleged ties to Islamic extremists through its fundraising efforts and its board of directors. In 2004, the ISB was formally sued and a year later the ISB counter-sued claiming a conspiracy of both opposed parties and media outlets to publicly defame the ISB and some of its head members. Construction on the mosque was halted indefinitely. Private reconciliation efforts began in 2006 by the Interreligious Center on Public Life (ICPL) to settle the dispute outside of court through their mediation.

Miraculously both sides of the controversy jointly decide to end litigation in late May 2007. With the case dropped, the ISB was able to return to construction and held a minaret capping ceremony, co-sponsored by the Muslim American Society (MAS), on June 9, 2007. On June 27 the ISB and MAS held what was called an "Intercommunity Solidarity Day" to emphasize the valuable addition of the cultural center, for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to the rich cultural and religious diversity of the Boston area.

Description of the New Facility

When complete, the ISB Cultural Center will be the largest Islamic complex in New England. The architects of the complex were interested in integrating the architecture of the mosque with the surrounding neighborhood, and have used brick and beige concrete together with traditional Islamic motifs of pointed arches, a 140-foot minaret, and a gilded dome. The new facility includes a mosque that will accommodate 1200 men and 400 women in prayer rooms, as well as an Islamic school for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school will have 18 classrooms serving 20 to 23 students each. Currently the nearest Islamic schools are in Sharon and Methuen, both a 45-minute drive outside of Boston. The center will include a library with a general collection to support the school, as well as a more specialized collection of books on Islamic history and culture. Salma Kazmi, former Assistant Director of the Islamic Society of Boston, said the ISBCC hopes to open the library to the public, although the technicalities about borrowing privileges have not been decided. The library committee is still in the process of finding sponsors and has also discussed having a consortium with the libraries at nearby Hebrew College and Andover-Newton Theological Seminary. The library will feature a selection of books on interfaith activities which will contribute to the center's overall goal of engaging Muslims and non-Muslims in the metro Boston area.

The center will also house a morgue with facilities for washing the dead and making burial preparations. Kazmi explained that there is a particular washing ritual that must be performed when someone in the Muslim community dies, and that the body should be prayed over in a mosque before burial. Currently Muslims must make special arrangements with area funeral homes for the preparation of the body and are often unable to hold the prayer service in a mosque with the body present. According to Kazmi, having a prayer service in a mosque without the body is permissible, but the new facility will make it possible to meet the ideal for an Islamic burial. Kazmi added that the library and the funeral facilities are probably two of the things that people are most looking forward to in the new center and will serve a regional need rather than just the local Roxbury community.

The new cultural center will include administrative offices, a media and da'wa (outreach) center, a store for Islamic art and books, an aerobic fitness center for women, and a multipurpose hall and kitchen for social events such as Ramadan events, weddings, and lectures. There will be an underground parking garage as well as an adjacent lot, accommodating a total of 570 cars.

According to Kazmi, a major element of the mosque's significance, "is that it really adds visibility to the Muslim community in Boston." She related a time when the ISB held an open house in their Cambridge location and several people walked in and were surprised to find out the building was a mosque. "I think that that’s the case with a lot of mosques," Kazmi said. "People don’t even know that there’s a community around.”

Opportunities for Women

The center will also provide an opportunity for Muslim women to leave their mark on the community. The design process for the center has taken into consideration the needs of women members. In the predevelopment process, the designers attempted to balance the needs of both "conservative" and "liberal" members of the Muslim community currently attending the ISB mosque. For example, the more conservative members prefer separate entrances and separate prayer spaces for men and women and the more "liberal" members want involvement of women at all levels and in as many activities as possible. In response, the architects attempted to create a space which would be comfortable for a wide range of people. The building will be three stories high with the second floor balcony reserved for women. This area allows women to view the imam during services and features a chandelier and decorative touches on the railings which demonstrate how women are held in high regard in the community.
Please see research report by Iza Hussin for additional information.

Relationship with Boston Civic and Religious Leaders and Non-Muslims Neighbors in Roxbury

The planners of the center felt Roxbury was a suitable neighborhood to locate an Islamic center because it is already home to large African-American and African Muslim populations in addition to a smaller South Asian Muslim community. Other mosques have encountered hurdles when attempting to build new masjid (mosques) in suburban locations and the ISB felt that in Roxbury they would not face this type of challenge.

Thus far, reception of the ISBCC by the Roxbury community has been very positive. When complaints have been raised they were in response to specific construction issues (such as parking), rather than an objection to the center's construction. The new center is directly adjacent to the Roxbury Community College (RCC) on a parcel of land which has been vacant for the past 40 years. As part of their agreement with the Boston Redevelopment Authority for the purchase of the Roxbury property, the ISBCC will offer monthly lectures for the next ten years at RCC and will donate books to the college's library. Both the city and the ISB hopes the cultural center will attract Muslim businesses and residents to the Roxbury community, which could have an enormous impact on the area's economics. This will be a gradual process as it was when the ISB was first established in Central Square. The center also agreed to maintain two local parks as a method of compensation to the city for setting aside the land. The center will also benefit the larger Boston community by providing a forum for interfaith dialogue and interactions with civic leaders. In December 2004 the ISBCC held a press conference to repudiate claims that members of the ISB board have ties to radical Islamic groups. The press release the center issued says "The ISBCC is designed with a blend of traditional Bostonian architecture, including hints of Islamic accents symbolically bringing together the east and the west. Its architecture is symbolic of its mission, as well. The center will provide civil and social services to the dynamic and diverse Roxbury community as well as avenues for interfaith dialogue and festivity." A variety of religious and civic leaders were present at the press conference as they had been at the groundbreaking two years prior.

Much of the information contained in the original profile was obtained from an interview conducted by Summer Intern Jessie Thisell with then Assistant Director Salma Kazmi on June 20, 2005. Updates were made by Summer Intern Katie Merriman, after attending the minaret capping ceremony and the Intercommunity Solidarity Day in June 2007.