Harvard University announced Tuesday that the college will be opening new prayer spaces for Muslims and Hindus, “after years of uneven access.”
From the Harvard Crimson: For years, Harvard’s only dedicated spaces for Muslim and Hindu worship were in a dormitory basement — but the University will open two new prayer spaces this fall following April recommendations from two internal task forces to overhaul its approach to religious life on campus.
The University will designate room on the Smith Campus Center’s second floor as a permanent musallah, a prayer space for Muslim affiliates to gather for daily worship and reflection. The new space will replace a temporary location on the third floor of Sever Hall and a smaller prayer room in the basement of Canaday Hall.
While the Sever space will be returned to Harvard College for general use, the location in Canaday will be repurposed for Harvard Dharma, a recognized student organization that maintains a Hindu prayer space, as attendance at their worship sessions continues to grow.
Shakira Ali ’28 — who serves as co-director of internal relations for the Harvard Islamic Society, a recognized student organization — said the creation of a permanent prayer space publicly signaled the University’s renewed commitment to its Muslim students.
Harvard will open two new prayer spaces for Muslim and Hindu worship this fall following April recommendations from two internal task forces to overhaul its approach to religious life on campus.@samuelachurch reports.https://t.co/S8aEF8djJc
— The Harvard Crimson (@thecrimson) August 12, 2025
The Muslim activist group, CAIR National, cheered the news, writing, “We commend @Harvard University for taking this meaningful step toward supporting the spiritual and religious well-being of its diverse student body. Providing a permanent Muslim prayer space affirms the importance of religious inclusion and ensures that Muslim students feel seen, respected, and supported.
“We also celebrate the simultaneous opening of a Hindu prayer space as a positive indication of the university’s commitment to pluralism and equity for all faith traditions @CAIRMass.”
We commend @Harvard University for taking this meaningful step toward supporting the spiritual and religious well-being of its diverse student body. Providing a permanent Muslim prayer space affirms the importance of religious inclusion and ensures that Muslim students feel seen,… pic.twitter.com/vfWhJOISCu
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) August 12, 2025
This comes as the university is also about to wrap up a $500 million settlement with the Trump administration, as punishment for allowing the violent, out-of-control anti-Israel protests on their campus last year.
Harvard University is nearing a $500 million settlement with the Trump administration, in what would be the largest payout the White House has won so far in its campaign to punish universities that it says failed to stop antisemitism on campus https://t.co/22iduqSCnB
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 12, 2025
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