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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Lynda Lin Grigsby in Altadena, California

‘That was my home’: faith communities without worship spaces after LA fires

aerial view of remains of a mosque after a fire
The remains of the Al-Taqwa mosque, destroyed in the Eaton fire, on 19 January in Altadena, California. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Before the Masjid Al-Taqwa, a mosque in Altadena, was reduced to rubble in the Eaton fire in January, it was a space that belonged to all its worshippers. When the urge for prayer stirred the soul during off-hours, a faithful follower could borrow the key and have the place to pray.

Now without a mosque during Ramadan, members are worshipping in diaspora. The weekly communal prayer services are temporarily held in a park community room. After hours at a Muslim elementary school, members break their fast together. It’s a fragmented spiritual existence.

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