"Church-to-mosque" conversions have clearly become a trend in US
From Steeple to Minaret: A Growing Trend
Last year, I heard from the news that a Muslim group in Buffalo, New York, was planning to convert St. Ann Catholic Church, a local landmark, into a mosque. This Gothic-style building had been closed for five years before the Muslims bought it. The group plans to invest at least $22.5 million in renovations. News like this often spreads like wildfire within the Muslim community, seen as a kind of spiritual conquest in the West: Christianity is supposedly declining, while Islam is flourishing. But this change in building use isn't just about some psychological intent by Muslims (though, yes, there might be a preference for churches). From an economic standpoint, it simply makes perfect sense: there are too many abandoned Christian churches, and with a constant increase in Muslim immigrants and converts, a slight modification to a church – removing the idols from the sanctuary – makes it a natural prayer hall.
If you can't change their faith, change their architecture. While in the East, this might be seen as an affront or a test of obedience from an authority figure to a group, in the West, it's more about going with the flow. Nowadays, I hardly bat an eye at this kind of news anymore. "Church-to-mosque" conversions have clearly become a trend, a growing reality. Even though I haven't specifically sought out these converted mosques, I've come across enough of them to dedicate an entire article to the ones I've encountered. It's not just churches; mosques have even been theaters, or get this, even nightclubs!
Mosques Across the States: From Churches to Nightclubs
Let me share some of the fascinating transformations I've witnessed, from coast to coast.
Massachusetts Mosques
Dar al-Islam of Boston
138 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111
Located right in downtown Boston, Dar al-Islam is the only publicly accessible place where you can find Jumu'ah (Friday congregational prayer). Dar al-Islam is probably the weirdest example on this list because it genuinely is a church: St. Paul Catholic Church, and it still has all its church facilities intact. But it's not just a church; Muslims aren't simply borrowing the church for Jumu'ah prayers (which is actually pretty common in North America, as churches often lend their space to Muslims for Jumu'ah before a proper mosque is established in an area). No, this is a legitimate usage because the Muslim community actually helped sponsor its construction. So, you get this bizarre sight: this church has special sinks for Muslims to perform wudu (ablution). Of course, this particular church only functions as a prayer space on Fridays.
Islamic Society of Greater Worcester
57 Laurel St, Worcester, MA 01605
The Islamic Society of Greater Worcester's building was originally bought and built as a church by Finnish Evangelicals in 1906. In 1957, it converted to a Lutheran church. By 1977, the church faced problems like a dwindling active membership, insufficient funds, and a deteriorating surrounding neighborhood. Finally, in 1979, it was sold for $27,000 to the Islamic Foundation of North America, and by 1980, the building officially became a mosque.
During the conversion, the pews were removed, and the church's second floor was transformed into the main prayer hall. There was even a debate for a while about the qibla (direction of prayer), leading to prayers being conducted in two different directions for some time! Ultimately, the community agreed on the qibla direction based on publications from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
Rhode Island Mosques
Masjid Ali
575 Charles St, Providence, RI 02904
This mosque has a really odd layout. To perform wudu, you have to walk through the main prayer hall, then enter a door next to the qibla. While heading to the basement for wudu, I bumped into the mosque's manager. When he heard I was from China, he immediately started speaking Chinese! Turns out, the uncle had worked in Guangzhou about a decade ago. As we chatted, I learned that this mosque was only established a year and a half ago, and he seemed to be the one who founded it. The reason for the strange layout? It used to be a bank, so it still has the old vault doors! I asked the uncle if he leads prayers, and he said several people do. I then asked why they don't invite an Imam, and he simply replied they couldn't afford one. Despite not having a full-time Imam, this small mosque, with less than a hundred people on Friday, still offers Quran classes for kids. It's a true case of being small but mighty, having everything you need.
Chicago Mosques
Muslim Community Center (MCC Chicago)
4380 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
The MCC headquarters on Elston Avenue in Chicago really catches your eye because this building was once the Rivoli Theater, built in 1923. The interior of the mosque still retains the original architectural structure of the theater. The main prayer hall is the former performance hall, complete with a raised stage and a sunken audience area, and the second-floor balcony has also been repurposed into a prayer area.
Chicago Merkez Camii
3617 W Belle Plaine Ave, Chicago, IL 0618
Founded in 2011, Chicago Merkez Camii, or Chicago Central Mosque, was previously St. Andrew’s Church. It was later converted into a Muslim community center and mosque, primarily serving the Turkish community.
Islamic Oasis Center and Mosque
4201 N Monticello Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Established in 2008, the Islamic Oasis Center and Mosque is just two blocks away from Merkez Camii and quite similar to it. This mosque was also converted from a church; its predecessor was the United Methodist Church, built in 1898. This mosque not only provides local Islamic learning, social services, and after-school tutoring but also engages in humanitarian work overseas, supporting charity efforts in places like Bangladesh and Syria.
Masjid E Noor
6151 N Greenview Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
This mosque has a very distinctive exterior, and it also appears to be a church conversion. When I prayed Jumu'ah there, I saw many Central Asian faces.
Dar-us-Sunnah Masjid (House of Guidance Mosque) also underwent a church conversion.
Baitul Huda (House of Guidance)
1136 Wesley Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Portland
Al Furqan Islamic Center
7410 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97211
As I looked at the exterior of this mosque, I thought the building's theme was a bit strange. There was a prominent sign-like protrusion on the roof that read "Moon Star." Once inside, I asked a young man who was leading prayers, and he explained that before its conversion, this place was a nightclub! Allahu Akbar! From the dance floor to the prayer mat – only Allah could orchestrate such a transformation.
Last year, I heard from the news that a Muslim group in Buffalo, New York, was planning to convert St. Ann Catholic Church, a local landmark, into a mosque. This Gothic-style building had been closed for five years before the Muslims bought it. The group plans to invest at least $22.5 million in renovations. News like this often spreads like wildfire within the Muslim community, seen as a kind of spiritual conquest in the West: Christianity is supposedly declining, while Islam is flourishing. But this change in building use isn't just about some psychological intent by Muslims (though, yes, there might be a preference for churches). From an economic standpoint, it simply makes perfect sense: there are too many abandoned Christian churches, and with a constant increase in Muslim immigrants and converts, a slight modification to a church – removing the idols from the sanctuary – makes it a natural prayer hall.
If you can't change their faith, change their architecture. While in the East, this might be seen as an affront or a test of obedience from an authority figure to a group, in the West, it's more about going with the flow. Nowadays, I hardly bat an eye at this kind of news anymore. "Church-to-mosque" conversions have clearly become a trend, a growing reality. Even though I haven't specifically sought out these converted mosques, I've come across enough of them to dedicate an entire article to the ones I've encountered. It's not just churches; mosques have even been theaters, or get this, even nightclubs!
Mosques Across the States: From Churches to Nightclubs
Let me share some of the fascinating transformations I've witnessed, from coast to coast.
Massachusetts Mosques
Dar al-Islam of Boston
138 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111
Located right in downtown Boston, Dar al-Islam is the only publicly accessible place where you can find Jumu'ah (Friday congregational prayer). Dar al-Islam is probably the weirdest example on this list because it genuinely is a church: St. Paul Catholic Church, and it still has all its church facilities intact. But it's not just a church; Muslims aren't simply borrowing the church for Jumu'ah prayers (which is actually pretty common in North America, as churches often lend their space to Muslims for Jumu'ah before a proper mosque is established in an area). No, this is a legitimate usage because the Muslim community actually helped sponsor its construction. So, you get this bizarre sight: this church has special sinks for Muslims to perform wudu (ablution). Of course, this particular church only functions as a prayer space on Fridays.
Islamic Society of Greater Worcester
57 Laurel St, Worcester, MA 01605
The Islamic Society of Greater Worcester's building was originally bought and built as a church by Finnish Evangelicals in 1906. In 1957, it converted to a Lutheran church. By 1977, the church faced problems like a dwindling active membership, insufficient funds, and a deteriorating surrounding neighborhood. Finally, in 1979, it was sold for $27,000 to the Islamic Foundation of North America, and by 1980, the building officially became a mosque.
During the conversion, the pews were removed, and the church's second floor was transformed into the main prayer hall. There was even a debate for a while about the qibla (direction of prayer), leading to prayers being conducted in two different directions for some time! Ultimately, the community agreed on the qibla direction based on publications from the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
Rhode Island Mosques
Masjid Ali
575 Charles St, Providence, RI 02904
This mosque has a really odd layout. To perform wudu, you have to walk through the main prayer hall, then enter a door next to the qibla. While heading to the basement for wudu, I bumped into the mosque's manager. When he heard I was from China, he immediately started speaking Chinese! Turns out, the uncle had worked in Guangzhou about a decade ago. As we chatted, I learned that this mosque was only established a year and a half ago, and he seemed to be the one who founded it. The reason for the strange layout? It used to be a bank, so it still has the old vault doors! I asked the uncle if he leads prayers, and he said several people do. I then asked why they don't invite an Imam, and he simply replied they couldn't afford one. Despite not having a full-time Imam, this small mosque, with less than a hundred people on Friday, still offers Quran classes for kids. It's a true case of being small but mighty, having everything you need.
Chicago Mosques
Muslim Community Center (MCC Chicago)
4380 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
The MCC headquarters on Elston Avenue in Chicago really catches your eye because this building was once the Rivoli Theater, built in 1923. The interior of the mosque still retains the original architectural structure of the theater. The main prayer hall is the former performance hall, complete with a raised stage and a sunken audience area, and the second-floor balcony has also been repurposed into a prayer area.
Chicago Merkez Camii
3617 W Belle Plaine Ave, Chicago, IL 0618
Founded in 2011, Chicago Merkez Camii, or Chicago Central Mosque, was previously St. Andrew’s Church. It was later converted into a Muslim community center and mosque, primarily serving the Turkish community.
Islamic Oasis Center and Mosque
4201 N Monticello Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Established in 2008, the Islamic Oasis Center and Mosque is just two blocks away from Merkez Camii and quite similar to it. This mosque was also converted from a church; its predecessor was the United Methodist Church, built in 1898. This mosque not only provides local Islamic learning, social services, and after-school tutoring but also engages in humanitarian work overseas, supporting charity efforts in places like Bangladesh and Syria.
Masjid E Noor
6151 N Greenview Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
This mosque has a very distinctive exterior, and it also appears to be a church conversion. When I prayed Jumu'ah there, I saw many Central Asian faces.
Dar-us-Sunnah Masjid (House of Guidance Mosque) also underwent a church conversion.
Baitul Huda (House of Guidance)
1136 Wesley Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
Portland
Al Furqan Islamic Center
7410 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97211
As I looked at the exterior of this mosque, I thought the building's theme was a bit strange. There was a prominent sign-like protrusion on the roof that read "Moon Star." Once inside, I asked a young man who was leading prayers, and he explained that before its conversion, this place was a nightclub! Allahu Akbar! From the dance floor to the prayer mat – only Allah could orchestrate such a transformation.
