Harvard Opens New Muslim Prayer Spaces at Smith Campus Center

August 12, 2025

Smith Campus Center to house dedicated musallah, ending reliance on basement facilities criticized as inadequate since 1995.

Photo by Bruner/Cott Architects Hopkins Architects/Harvard Commons

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Harvard University will open two new dedicated Muslim prayer spaces this fall, including a permanent musallah in the Smith Campus Center.

For nearly 30 years, Harvard’s primary Muslim prayer area was confined to a cramped basement room in Canaday Hall, supplemented by temporary spaces like Sever Hall’s third floor.

Canaday Hall Islamic Prayer Space. Photo by Harvard Islamic Society

Students frequently juggled locations—sometimes traveling 15+ minutes to the Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH) via shuttle—to hold congregational prayers.

“We felt pushed around from area to area”
said Shakira Ali ’28, co-director of the Harvard Islamic Society.

The new 2nd-floor Smith Campus Center space will feature a foot bath for ritual washing (wudu) and dedicated areas for daily prayers and reflection.

A key recommendation from Harvard’s Task Force on Combating Islamophobia, which urged “permanent prayer areas for Muslims” amid broader efforts to tackle campus bias.

Adam Latif ’27, Islamic Society co-president, acknowledged the progress: “It’s a great first step for Muslim visibility.”