OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (RNS) — As Manahil Khan stood at the balloon-decorated entrance of Salsabeel Cafe, she took in the stream of students and elders sipping coffee drinks in what once was the prayer hall she’d run around in as a child.
The cafe’s opening at the Islamic Center of Johnson County in the Kansas City suburbs in early November marked a milestone for the small but “strong” Muslim community, Khan said. It’s among a growing number of United States mosques creating relaxed “third spaces” — social spaces outside home and work — for young Muslims to gather without the formality of religious events.
“I remember when they first laid down the carpet, (and) the huge discussion of if it would even be possible to open a new building,” Khan, 27, said. “It’s almost unbelievable that we are having a grand opening for a third space.”…