This masjid is hard to find since it occupies basement space in a busy strip mall. It is located in the popular Lawrence Muslim/Arab store area. The masjid is very simply laid out and decorated. Basically one big room out of which some bathroom/wudu space, an office and a curtained off women's space has been created. The mosque is bright and clean but has a strong mildew smell. The odor really got to me as I kept imagining black mold behind the walls. There must be some kind of moisture problem - not surprising since it is a basement space. Insha'Allah they will do something to fix it, since breathing in mildew/mold cannot be too healthy. The mosque seems more like one of those masajid frequented by brothers working in the area rather than a community mosque. There is however, a fairly comfortable if walled-off (this is a salafi mosque) women's area. It is about a quarter of the mosque space and cordened off by floor to ceiling heavy opaque curtains. Communications to the brothers outside the curtained area are conveyed through children. The brothers do not trespass into the designated women's space. The sisters and brothers I encountered here were nice if very conservative. Because of the mildew odor and because I am not of the salafi minhaj, I would only visit this masjid again if I were in the area and I found nowhere else to pray.

ruhafsa

2005-06-16