Dr. Madeline Campbell and Dr. Thomas Conroy (Urban Studies) took students from two Urban Studies classes to the Islamic Society of Boston and Community Center, the second largest mosque in the northeast. On February 21, students in either Gender in the City or Human Identity traveled to Roxbury, Mass., for this eye-opening experience.
Students toured the mosque, interacted with staff and worshipers, and observed the afternoon prayer service. One student wrote, “The prayer service was beautiful in its form and also beautiful in its difference from anything I had ever seen, as I have never been a part of any kind of prayer service related to Islam.”
Writing about the architecture, which is a blend of traditional mosque form with local brickwork thereby fusing Islamic and local traditions, another student claimed, “I was struck by the simplicity of the mosque itself. … Thank you Urban Studies for giving us this exposure and shedding light into dark places.”