A Lively Experiment
A Multireligious Historical Overview of Rhode Island
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| More recent years have witnessed yet another era of immigration—not, as in the 1800s and 1900s, in the form of industrial laborers, but in the form of a "brain drain" of professionals (i.e., physicians, lawyers, businesspersons) contributing to the permanence and prosperity of America's increasingly diverse religious landscape. A testimony to the success of these newcomers and their second and third generation children are the beautiful new religious centers being constructed to serve their communities. One example is the Masjid al-Islam ("Islamic Mosque") in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Designed by architect Javid Sultan and built through private donations in 1994, this elegant two-story mosque serves Rhode Island's expanding Muslim community, including some of the overflow from Providence's Masjid al-Karim. Currently the largest mosque in Rhode Island, Masjid al-Islam welcomes Muslims of all denominations and its members come from all over the world. Some community members send their children to the full-time Islamic school in Sharon, Massachusetts. They celebrate religious holidays such as 'Eid al-Fitr with the larger Muslim community of Rhode Island, and they provide a variety of youth and adult programs, including religious classes and social gatherings. |
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