Harvard University is set to inaugurate two new dedicated prayer spaces this fall, fulfilling long-standing requests from Muslim and Hindu students for adequate worship facilities. For years, these students had limited access to proper areas, often relegated to cramped basement rooms in dormitories that could not accommodate larger gatherings.
The new arrangements will place a permanent musallah for Muslim students on the second floor of the Smith Campus Center, replacing temporary prayer locations at Sever Hall and Canaday Hall. Meanwhile, the Hindu student organization, Harvard Dharma, will take over the existing Canaday Hall space, which will be modified to better suit their needs as their congregation grows.
Student leaders welcomed the move, emphasizing the importance of having a consistent and respectful place for prayer. Shakira Ali, a Muslim student and co-director of internal relations for the Harvard Islamic Society, shared that having a dedicated space eliminates the stress of finding a place to pray and reinforces that their faith is honored on campus.
Harvard’s Muslim chaplain, Khalil Abdur-Rashid, is preparing the musallah with appropriate furnishings, including a foot bath for ritual washing, aiming to create a peaceful and uplifting environment for spiritual practice.
These upgrades are part of broader efforts to enhance religious life at Harvard, including a presidential initiative on interfaith engagement and expanded collaborations with Israeli institutions. However, the university has faced criticism for not making equivalent academic commitments in areas such as Islamic, Arab, or Palestinian studies.
The announcement comes amid ongoing negotiations between Harvard and the Trump administration over federal research funding. Harvard is close to a landmark settlement that would see the university invest $500 million in exchange for reinstatement of billions in federal research grants. Harvard has notably resisted punitive funding cuts imposed during the administration, standing alone in suing to contest them.
