'From haram to halal': How a bar became a shelter for Muslim migrants in Mexico

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/26/ [login to see] /muslim-islam-mexico-migrant-refugees-tijuana
Six miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Muslims gather to pray in an-oud scented musalla. The prayer room sits within a two-story, 8,000 square foot refugee shelter, complete with a minaret and a blue dome.

It's a beacon for Muslims arriving to the city from all over the world seeking a new life elsewhere.

"When they come here ... they feel comfortable," said Sonia García, president of the Latina Muslim Foundation, the organization that runs the shelter.

The shelter provides a number of services: legal assistance, medical care, language and Quran classes. There are separate quarters for men and women lined with bunk beds. There is also another room to quarantine people when they get sick.

The building was converted from an event space that was once used for quinceañeras and birthday parties. It has a commercial kitchen and a dining area. The musalla where local Muslims and shelter residents worship was once a bar.