As Ramadan comes to a close, the town of Reading is preparing to celebrate the successful launch of its new mosque – the first Islamic institution in the town.
The North American Foundation of Islamic Services – known as NAFIS Boston – had been renting various locations around Stoneham and Woburn for services the last ten years but finally was able to buy the Reading building in 2023, and then began renovations on what was formerly a Rite Aid pharmacy.
Othmane Habbouli, a board member of the institution, says that they “decided that we need to buy a place for ourselves because we can’t be paying rent for the rest of our lives.”
Services began being held here last summer, and Habbouli says that since they’ve moved to Reading, the congregation has grown quickly. He estimates that there are now about 50 regular participants.
Dozens of people gathered for prayer at the mosque on a recent Friday, during the first Ramadan observed in the new mosque. Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims happens annually on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting, prayer and reflection for Muslims worldwide.
One of the regulars is Driss Alawi, a Wakefield resident for the past ten years. He said it has been hard to find a house of worship close by, with the closest being in Malden, a further drive and with limited parking. “There’s always been a scarcity of masajid [mosques] around here,” he said. Now, Alawi now lives ten minutes from the Reading Mosque. “This is just like another room in the house, to be honest with you. Just like, you know, get in the car, drive for ten minutes and you’re here,” he said.
This proximity has allowed his family to attend the mosque more regularly.
The mosque is a regional hub for all the surrounding suburban towns like Woburn, Wakefield and Stoneham. Habbouli says the congregation is mainly made up of people from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The building had been vacant for about five years, so when it was proposed, Habbouli says the town was “very open and welcoming to the idea of having a worship place especially, for Muslims.” The location, right off the commuter rail at 25 Haven St, has been well received by the Muslim community and Reading residents.
Kosai Estowani, a Peabody resident, was excited to hear about a Mosque coming closer to him. “The further you get away from Boston – Peabody, Danvers, all these areas where I’m from – you’re not going to find anything like this.”
Estowani said he had not been sure when the mosque would be open. “I took a shot in the dark randomly. One day I’m like, ‘I’m sick and tired of driving that distance.’ And I said, are you open? And they said they were open and I started coming.”
Albert Pless, the Director of Equity and Social Justice for the town of Reading said it has been an “incredibly welcomed addition to the community.” He added that no matter where a mosque opens, “they are going to pretty much be the minority in that community, particularly as a religion.”
During the six to seven months while the mosque was under construction, Rev. Emelia Attridge opened up the First Congregational Church of Reading to the Muslim community to pray the Friday prayer known as Jummah, free of charge. Rev. Attridge says she was happy to do this and help out another house of worship.
“A lot of people might think, ‘Well, you know, are there enough Muslims in Reading to have a mosque?’ And that’s not the right question. The right question is, ‘Who am I maybe not noticing in my community?’”
Attridge said it is critically important that religious groups can gather and worship together. “I’m just so glad that the community of Muslims in the greater Reading area now have a physical space where they can gather.”
A little over a year ago, Pless’ office conducted an equity audit that found “Community events and programs might not consistently reflect the diverse needs of groups such as BIPOC, religious, disabled, and senior communities, possibly impacting their sense of belonging.” Pless says this made his team focus on fostering a better community.
“How do we make sure that we kind of usher in an energy of belonging?” he said. “And so people who live here but also come here, work here, pray here – that they feel like Reading belongs to them while they’re here.”
The mosque is pretty bare bones – it still looks like a commercial building from the outside – but it has all the essentials.
Walking in, the first thing a visitor does is place their shoes on a shelf. The space is divided into a women’s section and men’s section; kids can lap through them both. There are Qurans in different colors, an Imam reciting the call to prayer – known as the Athan – and a big holiday banner.
Pless says he appreciated the rich diversity of the mosque. “I think you have all walks of life. You have young ones running around, you have elders who are right there and you have women, men, black, white, you have different nationalities. It’s like a melting pot, you know, such a beautiful scene.”
Reading may not be an obvious place for a multinational mosque; according to the U. S. Census, the town’s population is 86% white.
“So our broader work, I think, is, hopefully that either marginalized groups or those groups who may not be fully represented here in Reading feel like there’s a place they can come and set up shop,” Pless said.
